A note for parents - how gangs recruit schoolchildren in Israel

Criminal gangs in Israel have intensified the recruitment of schoolchildren, exploiting their vulnerability and low visibility to the police. According to police data, in 2025 the number of cases involving minors increased by 16%, and the number of serious crimes by 25%. As part of prevention efforts, police conducted over a thousand lectures in schools and arrested 432 teenagers.

Criminal gangs in Israel have intensified the recruitment of schoolchildren, exploiting their vulnerability and low visibility to the police. According to police data, as stated by the head of the youth department, Lieutenant Colonel Yuval Ravivo, in 2025 the number of cases involving minors increased by 16% compared to the previous year, and the number of serious crimes and arrests rose by 25%. The police are responding to the rise in teenage crime not only through investigations but also through prevention: about 40% of station resources allocated for work with minors are directed toward prevention. As part of Operation "Shover Galim," police conducted over a thousand preventive lectures in schools and more than 1,400 interrogations of minors. A total of 432 teenagers were arrested, 1,206 traffic fines were issued, and in 752 cases alcohol was confiscated and destroyed. Concurrently, 85 special groups operate for at-risk teenagers. A separate program helped 1,550 young people serve in the IDF, and 1,200 criminal cases were closed. Recruitment of teenagers into criminal gangs can begin with an innocent acquaintance, after which they are offered money, gifts, status, and a sense of belonging. Gradually, the tasks become more serious—from passing messages to participating in attacks, drug distribution, or weapons trafficking. For criminal gangs, minors are convenient because they do not arouse suspicion, are little known to the police, and are willing to take risks for a small reward.