Soldier robbed of weapon after falling asleep on bus in northern Israel, gun recovered by police
Police recovered the weapon and detained the suspected gun thief.
Asoldier was robbed of his weapon after he fell asleep on a bus in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel on Friday, N12 reported early on Saturday morning.
After waking from his nap, he discovered his gun was missing and approached the bus driver. The driver confirmed that he saw a man carrying a weapon exit the bus, according to the report.
The suspected gun thief, a resident of Maghar, was later seen walking into the city with the weapon, N12 wrote.
Police recovered the weapon, which they found hidden during a search, and detained the man.
The incident happened the same morning that 68-year-old Shimshon Mordechai and 18-year-old Aviv Maor were murdered in a series of attacks by a terrorist.
Israeli security forces at the scene where a Palestinian terrorist was shot after carrying out an attack at several locations near the city of Afula, December 26, 2025. (credit: ANAT HERMONY/FLASH90)
Israeli soldier falls asleep in West Bank op.
The issue of soldiers falling asleep has led to security incidents over the past month. Two weeks ago, an IDF soldier was accidentally left behind during an operation last week near Kabatiya, a Palestinian town just south of Jenin in the northern West Bank, after he fell asleep.
The soldier was left alone for 40 minutes before eventually connecting with a different unit.
James Genn contributed to this report.
