War between Israel and Hamas: Israeli civilians arm themselves

An Israeli woman goes to the mall to buy a baby gift. She never separates from her weapon. “My weapon, I put it on my stomach, I remove the holster to take it out quickly, if necessary”, she explains while driving her car. This interior designer has only had a 9mm pistol for three weeks, she had never handled a weapon before. It was the attack on October 7 that made her decide to apply for a gun permit. “Danger is everywhere now. You can get shot anywhere above”, she says.

Less strict rules since the attack

Pour obtaining the permit, no practice requirement: the Police only check the health status and criminal record of the applicant. Since the attack,The government has relaxed the rules. Footage shows a far-right minister distributing weapons to citizens. They worry Debby Gilad Hayavlawyer : ““This government is exploiting public sentiment, which is fear, to encourage arming, without thinking about the consequences for long-term security.” In two months, 260,000 Israelis requested to carry a weapon. It is impossible to know how many weapons are in circulation in the country today.