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Israeli MK receives envelope with white powder, threat letter

“We will locate one of your family members ... and harm him,” read the letter, which was sent to lawmaker Ofir Katz.

Ofir Katz, chairman of the Special Committee on Amendments to Basic Law: The Government, leads a committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 19, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
Ofir Katz, chairman of the Special Committee on Amendments to Basic Law: The Government, leads a committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 19, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

A suspicious envelope containing white powder and a threat letter was sent to coalition chairman and Likud Party lawmaker Ofir Katz, his office said on Monday.

The letter, written in Hebrew, read: “We will locate one of your family members ... and harm him ... exactly like what happened to the 1,400 casualities of Oct. 7,” according to Walla News. On Oct. 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, massacring some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Katz reported the incident to Knesset Sergeant-at-Arms Yuval Chen, according to the report.

Similar suspicious envelops have been sent in recent months to other Knesset members and government ministers.

Last week, a letter with “suspicious powder” was sent to the Knesset office of Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso.

In accordance with protocol, police were notified and the envelope along with the suspicious substance were transferred for further examination by the appropriate authorities, Israel Hayom reported.

A package containing a suspicious powder was also sent to Buso’s office in June.

A suspicious envelope was also received at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem in December 2024.

In January 2023 and again in February of this year, suspicious envelopes were discovered at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, leading to security guards and forensic teams being rushed to the scene.

The investigation into the latest incident is currently under a gag order, according to Walla.

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