TEL AVIV Israeli Aviv Mataraso never thought he would use his savings to buy a pistol.
However, that’s what he ended up doing after the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th.
Mataraso, 30, works as a programmer and lives in the city of Givatayim near Tel Aviv. Mataraso is used to occasional rocket attacks from Gaza towards Israel. However, the October attack by Hamas was something completely different.
– Israel has a very strong army, and yet Hamas managed to carry out a brutal attack. I realized that we will be alone if something happens. I want to be able to defend myself, says Mataraso.
Now the woman carries her pistol with her everywhere. Acquiring the gun, including the permit process, cost him around 2,000 euros.
– There are many new Facebook groups and social media channels for women who want a gun or have already acquired one, Mataraso says.
The attack by Hamas seriously undermined Israelis’ sense of security. This is for example recent researchaccording to which about a third of Israelis suffer from post-traumatic stress reaction symptoms.
Also a 45-year-old mother of three, a paramedic Annette Kremer always carry a gun when leaving the house.
The use of weapons is familiar to Kremer, as he previously worked in the security sector, e.g. as a minister’s bodyguard. However, before the Hamas attack, he only took the gun with him to the shooting range and competitions.
– After the attack in October, I realized that anything can happen. It’s a scary thought, especially for those with children to care for. I changed my pistol to a smaller one so I can easily carry it with me everywhere, says Kremer.
The number of gun license applications has exploded
After the attack by Hamas, the application for a weapons permit has been submitted in two months 260,000 Israelis. Applications were submitted all last year 42,000.
The armament boom has been promoted especially by the minister of national security, a far-right settlement radical Itamar Ben-Gvir. In his politics, he has pushed for the arming of Israeli Jewish civilians and the loosening of the rules for the use of force.
After the attack by Hamas, the idea gained momentum. Volunteers in some kibbutzim near the Gaza border armed security groups managed to protect the residents of their community and even to stop attackers.
In October, the Israeli parliament approved reduced criteria for granting weapons licenses. In the past, a gun permit required, for example, a medical certificate, completion of full-scale military service, a certain level of firefighting training and a security interview.
Permits have mainly been granted to people who live in places considered to be risk areas, such as West Bank settlements or kibbutzim near the Gaza border.
Now you can get a weapon with shorter military service and less combat training than before. Security interviews can be conducted by telephone.
In addition, at least 800 armed with assault rifles have now been established in various parts of Israel civil defense group. These groups operate under either the army, the border guard or the police, and their tasks include street patrolling and searches. In addition, civil defense groups can respond to terrorist threats with the same powers as the police.
Mass arming has also aroused concern and criticism in Israel. Those fleeing domestic violence organizations and shelters that maintain emergency telephone numbers have warned that more and more women fear their violent partners will get a gun because of the loosened criteria.
Concern about a possible increase in suicides has also risen. It has also been considered whether the Israeli government has been able to demonstrate that terrorist attacks could be effectively stopped by arming civilians.
In 2018 The Israeli government published a statistic that armed civilians stopped less than five percent of terrorist attacks. The figure includes interventions by armed guards.
It woke me up at the beginning of December especially the case where an armed civilian was himself shot by an Israeli soldier after rushing to respond to a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
Aviv Mataraso says he is not particularly worried about weapons ending up in the wrong hands. He says he feels safer now that there are other armed people around.
– Many say that Israel is now going in the same direction as the United States in terms of gun violence. However, Israel still has stricter gun laws than the United States, says Mataraso.
Annette Kremer is less optimistic. He is not convinced by the way weapons are now distributed.
– I think it is irresponsible that you can now get a permit to carry a weapon in two weeks. Guns should not be given to just anyone, but proper screening and training are needed.
NGO: Mass arming exposes Palestinians to gun violence
According to Security Minister Ben-Gvir, the purpose of the mass arming of civilians is to strengthen national security. According to critics, the proliferation of weapons can actually further tighten the country’s ethnic tensions.
For example, a professor of politics at Ben-Gurion University Guy Ben-Porat says the news channel In an interview with CNNthat Ben-Gvir uses the fear of the Israelis to promote his own agenda, specifically aimed at arming the Jewish population of Israel.
monitoring the rights of the Palestinian minority in Israel NGO Adalah according to which arming civilians exposes Israeli Palestinians to gun violence. Human rights organization B’Tselem estimated, that “in Israel, the trigger finger has traditionally been sensitive towards the Palestinians”.
– Dozens have been killed over the years without causing any danger, B’Tselem’s spokesperson tells The Washington Post.
Peace seems more and more distant
War can be seen everywhere in Israel. Reservists in civilian clothes shouldering assault rifles are an increasingly common sight on Tel Aviv’s streets, grocery stores and bar terraces.
After the war, both Mataraso and Kremer were called up for service from the reserve. Mataraso works a few days a week in an intelligence unit on Israel’s northern border. Kremer, on the other hand, takes care of the needs of the residents of the kibbutzim that were under attack by Hamas, who were placed in a hotel in Tel Aviv.
How does life go on after the war? Kremer sighs deeply.
– Unfortunately, I see no hope for a permanent peace agreement. October 7 changed my mind, says Kremer.
Aviv Mataraso states that it is stressful to live in Israel. He says that he was especially shocked by the stories about the brutal sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists.
– Acquiring a gun was anything but a moment of celebration.
The attack by Hamas has weakened support for the two-state model in Israel even more so. Mataraso also says that he doubts the chances of peace more and more.
– Ironically, many of the Israelis killed in kibbutzim by Hamas were peace activists, Mataraso states.