Many Israelis feel a sense of insecurity following Hamas’ unprecedented attack on October 7, and there has been a sharp rise in the number of women applying for gun permits, while feminist groups have criticised the rush to take up arms.
According to Security Ministry figures, 42,000 applications for gun permits by women have been received since the attack, of which 18,000 have been approved, three times the number of licences held by women pre-war.
This increase has been made possible by the relaxation of gun laws under Israel’s right-wing government and its right-wing security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir.
More than 15,000 female citizens in Israel and the occupied West Bank now own guns, and 10,000 have received mandatory training, according to the ministry.
“I never thought about buying a weapon or getting a permit, but things changed a bit after October 7,” political science professor Limor Gonen told AFP during a weapons handling class at a shooting range in the west bank settlement of Ariel.
The attack on October 7 that triggered the war has resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 37,431 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the regional health ministry.
“We were all targeted (on Oct. 7) and I don’t want to be surprised, so I’m trying to defend myself,” Gonen said after the class. It’s a mandatory step to obtain a permit.
100,000 armed civilians
Although the immediate cause for the surge in gun purchases was the Hamas attacks, Ben Gvir was already pledging to reform firearms laws when he becomes security minister in late 2022.
He promised to increase the number of citizens who bear arms and to “increase self-defense capabilities.”
Under Ben Gvir’s leadership, the process for obtaining gun licenses has been expedited, with Israeli media reporting that in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack authorities were issuing hundreds of permits per day.
Eligibility criteria to own a gun in Israel now include being a citizen or permanent resident over the age of 18, having a basic grasp of the Hebrew language, and medical clearance.
The sheer list of requirements makes it nearly impossible for non-Jews to obtain a permit.
In March, Ben Gvir, himself a West Bank settler, displayed his gun at a rally to celebrate the number of civilian arms passing the 100,000 mark.
But his haste to put lethal weapons in the hands of ordinary Israelis has also been criticized.
The Gun Free Kitchen Tables Coalition, an Israeli initiative founded by feminist activists, denounces the civilian arms race.
A spokesman for a group of 18 organisations told AFP that “it is a strategy of far-right settlers to present arming women as a feminist act.”
“The increase in weapons in the civilian sector leads to an increase in violence and murder against women. It is time for the state to understand that personal safety is its responsibility.”
‘More Secure’
Community manager Yahel Reznik, 24, said she now felt “much safer” in Ariel, three kilometres north of the Palestinian city of Salfit.
“Thanks to my training I will be able to defend myself from an attack and protect others,” she told AFP.
Violence in the West Bank, which had been increasing even before the war, has escalated since October 7.
At least 549 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, according to the Palestinian Authority.
At least 14 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, according to an AFP count based on Israeli official figures.
The rise in gun ownership is not limited to West Bank residents. Corinne Nissim, who lives in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya, just north of Tel Aviv, said she never leaves home without a gun.
The 42-year-old English teacher was pulling a 9mm Smith & Wesson rifle out of the back of her pants to take her three children to the park.
“After October 7, I think, like most people in Israel, I realised that the only person I can trust is myself,” she told AFP, adding that she bought the gun so as not to feel “helpless”.
“The worst thing in my mind was that terrorists would attack me and my family in our own home,” the mother said.
He said his decision to carry a gun initially surprised some people in the seaside town, which is known for its peace and safety.
“People looked at me and said, ‘It’s so surreal to see you like that, with a gun and a baby,’” Nissim said.
But, he said others began to agree with him and said they would do the same.
“Many women told me: ‘I would do this. I would even buy a gun.'”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
