Nova theft case, clan wars, and police failures: Israel's crime beat

Family of Nova victim demands justice as defendants face sentencing; police on high alert after Japanika grenade attacks.

Nova theft case, clan wars, and police failures: Israel's crime beat — Nearly three years after the Nova massacre, the family of Matan Mordechai Lior arrived at the Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court to demand justice. His parents, Sarah and Ofer, told the defendants: 'Matan was light - and you are forces of darkness.'[^1] The three defendants are accused of collecting a sound system and generator from the party site on October 9, 2023, two days after the massacre, by misrepresenting themselves. The prosecution has requested sentences of up to seven years for Ram Shahin. The verdict is scheduled for October 7, 2026 — the third anniversary of the attack. Meanwhile, a wave of organized crime has prompted a nationwide police alert after a series of grenade explosions at branches of the Japanika sushi chain. Police fear the attacks could escalate to daytime. Crime organization head Yossi Mosli was arrested on suspicion of involvement in shootings and grenade attacks against businesses and homes. Mosli claimed he was warned in advance during an intelligence call and that police tried to use him to calm the situation. Police are requesting an eight-day extension of his detention and that of three others. In a separate case, a Bank Masad branch manager allegedly defrauded clients of about 800,000 shekels over years. Other incidents include a police volunteer who shot a 17-year-old boy in Segev Shalom contrary to orders, now under investigation. The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court extended the arrest of Daniel Avidan, whom a police representative described as creating an 'unbearable situation' with neighbors fearing 'murder in the air.'[^3] Judge Bar Dayan noted Avidan was previously seen with a hammer and axe and had threatened a complainant with murder. The Central-Lod District Court sentenced Itai Levi to ten years in prison for sex offenses against minors, ordering him to pay 258,000 shekels in compensation.[^8] A 22-year-old Israeli was caught at Rome's Fiumicino Airport with 216 kg of khat in seven suitcases.[^7] The pattern across these cases is a justice system struggling to keep pace: families of victims feel unheard, police face accusations of ineffectiveness, and