Nearly 4,000 weapons were confiscated and thousands of people arrested on weapons-related charges in the first half of 2019, according to a report by the Israeli police on Tuesday.
According to the report, some 3,661 weapons were confiscated, 2,704 people were arrested for shooting-related crimes, and 3,447 were arrested in a total of 3,568 cases pertaining to illegal arms dealing in the first six months of 2019.
Approximately 80 percent of all weapons seized were in Arab communities, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“Police operations were conducted across the country as a result of quality intelligence and undercover operations,” the police statement said.
Among the weapons confiscated were pistols, explosive devices, grenades and automatic weapons, including high-powered submachine guns. Quantities of ammunition were also confiscated.