Police have detained a mayor in southern Israel for questioning on suspicion of pocketing wartime donations for himself and his associates.
He is detained alongside local officials and businessmen suspected of involvement in the alleged corruption.
According to police, millions of shekels donated to the municipality for the good of residents amid the two-year war against Hamas in Gaza, and the war last year with Iran, were transferred to a community fund and from there, “found their way into the private pockets of the mayor and his associates.”
Detectives in police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit had been conducting a covert investigation into the alleged corruption for months before searching suspects’ homes and offices this morning.
Police say the suspects are undergoing interrogation at the offices of the National Fraud Investigation Unit, a unit within Lahav 433.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 2, 2026
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