MALI officers' October 7 testimony and West Bank settler violence test security forces

Officers recall 237 bodies from Nova festival; Border Police commander warns of lynch risk in Jallud.

MALI officers' October 7 testimony and West Bank settler violence test security forces — Colonel D. was at his home in the north when he received a report of falls at the base, drove south, and established a task force. By 14:00 on October 7, 2023, MALI officers had taken control of the Nova festival compound, searching toilets, refrigerators, and garbage containers for bodies. They initially gathered 59 bodies in a police command tent, but ended the night with 237 bodies. Colonel D. later said: "Something of me stayed there."[^1] Last weekend, 250 settlers barricaded themselves in the village of Jallud in the Binyamin region, throwing stones, setting tires on fire, and spraying pepper spray at security forces. Three Border Police officers were wounded. The commander of the Border Police force in the West Bank gave a first testimony, stating: "If we don't arrive, they lynch the family, kill the family, burn them inside too."[^2] The contrast between the disciplined, grim work of MALI at Nova and the chaotic settler violence in Jallud underscores the different pressures on security forces. During the Sukkot holiday, security forces are deployed at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron with tens of thousands of worshippers. A dedicated command center was opened under Colonel D., who coordinates the operational picture. Over 50,000 worshippers have visited the site since the beginning of the holiday.[^3] The same commander who led the response on October 7 now manages the security of a major religious gathering, a shift from emergency to routine that carries its own tension. Botched stakeout, civilian death, and antisemitic vandalism: crime in focus — Lahav 433 detectives were tailing Moti Hasin, deputy of crime boss Yitzhak Abargil, on Bat Yam beach when assassins opened fire on the group at a restaurant. The bullets missed their intended targets and struck Margarita Lautin, an innocent mother of two, killing her instantly.[^1] The detectives, close to the scene, initiated a chase that led to the arrest of Ronen Ben-Adi, convicted of murder and sentenced to life, and Shimon Sabah, the getaway driver, who received seven years.[^1] The incident has been described