Weapon smuggler shot by IDF - and Defense Ministry demands: 'Pay 105,000 shekels for the air evacuation'
The Defense Ministry is suing Hassan al-Ma'abda, a resident of Kseifa convicted of smuggling weapons from Jordan, for approximately 105,000 shekels for the air evacuation he received after being shot while fleeing security forces. The lawsuit was filed in the Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court on grounds of negligence, breach of statutory duty, and unjust enrichment.
The Defense Ministry is suing Hassan al-Ma'abda, a resident of Kseifa convicted of smuggling weapons and ammunition from Jordan to Israel, for approximately 105,000 shekels for the air evacuation he received after being shot while fleeing security forces. The lawsuit, filed by the State Attorney's Office on behalf of the Defense Ministry in the Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court, bases its claim on the fact that al-Ma'abda's actions and his attempt to escape led to his injury and the need for evacuation. In June 2021, al-Ma'abda operated to smuggle weapons from the Jordan border. When security forces arrived, he fled and did not comply with orders to stop. During the chase, he was shot in his legs and wounded, and an IDF soldier was also injured in the incident. A "Yanshuf" helicopter was dispatched to evacuate him and the soldier to Soroka Hospital. Al-Ma'abda confessed and was convicted of importing and trading weapons and obstructing a police officer. In 2023, he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, a fine of 10,000 shekels, and a driver's license suspension. The current lawsuit seeks to compel him to pay the evacuation cost plus indexation and interest and legal expenses.