300,000 weapons, equipment items returned to IDF during no-questions-asked collection drive

The Israeli military on Thursday said it had so far collected over 300,000 pieces of military equipment as part of a weapons return campaign, including enemy assault rifles stolen from the battlefield and a submachine gun that has not been in service in over three decades.

On November 1, the Israel Defense Forces opened 62 stations and collection points at army bases across the country, where weapons and gear that were being held illegally could be returned — with no questions asked.

The military said that soldiers, both in the standing army and reserves, could return the weapons and equipment “without the need to identify themselves and without prosecution for their unlawful removal, possession or carrying.”

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The program was supposed to end this weekend, but the military said Thursday that “in light of the campaign’s success, it has been extended by an additional two days,” until this coming Monday.

“At the conclusion of the campaign, legal immunity will end, and enforcement against the unlawful removal and possession of military equipment will resume,” the military said Thursday.

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Over the past two weeks, the military said, it had collected more than 300,000 pieces of military equipment, including some 210 firearms; 3,800 stun grenades, fragmentation grenades, mortars and launchers; 8,700 uniforms and textile items; 3,000 weapon accessories; 1,600 combat equipment items, including vests and helmets; 430 medical equipment items; and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Among the firearms returned to the military were an Uzi submachine gun that the IDF said was “phased out of IDF service more than 30 years ago,” Kalashnikov rifles apparently taken by soldiers during operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and an FN MAG machine gun.

The aim of the operation was to “strengthen public safety,” prevent the use of military equipment outside the IDF, and ensure that weapons are held only by authorized personnel, the military said at the start of the campaign.

“The operation is also intended to reduce the risks associated with keeping weapons in unsafe conditions and prevent them from reaching hostile elements,” the IDF said.

Col. Moshe Schwartz, a senior officer in the military’s Technology and Logistics Directorate responsible for the campaign, said last week that the IDF “worked extensively through the legal system to obtain special authorization that would not require anyone to identify themselves, thereby exempting them from criminal liability.”

“That was precisely so we could reach these numbers,” he told the IDF’s website.

“We wanted no one to be afraid to come forward, because the importance of recovering ammunition and weapons that could fall into the wrong hands is far greater. Old and worn-out equipment can also be quite dangerous, and it is very important to return it to people who can handle it properly and even put it back into use,” Schwartz said.

“Especially after a three-year war, it is not at all easy to closely track the quantities of equipment. Ultimately, our goal is for soldiers to use only standard-issue equipment that is fit for use,” he added.

The last time the military carried out a weapons-return drive was in 2018, and before that in 2016.

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