Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced the addition of five towns and municipal councils to the list of areas whose residents are eligible to obtain firearm carry permits.

The right-wing minister stated that residents of Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malakhi, Gan Yavne, the Megiddo Regional Council, and Tel Mond—all located within the Green Line and with a combined population of about 100,000—will be authorized to receive these permits.

His office explained that the decision came in light of “increased security incidents across the country” and following a “thorough professional evaluation” conducted by the police and the Ministry of National Security.

He added that since the start of “Ben Gvir’s efforts to increase gun ownership,” the government has issued approximately 230,000 new permits, urging citizens to “verify their eligibility,” and stating that “a weapon in the right hands saves lives.”

The Ministry of National Security informed the Knesset’s National Security Committee in June that Israelis had submitted more than 403,000 applications for firearm carry permits since October 7, 2023, with more than half of these applications conditionally approved.

While the minister views these weapons as necessary for citizen protection, women’s organizations criticize the rising number of guns in Israeli homes, considering it a danger to victims of domestic violence.

Following the events of October 7, Ben Gvir also granted temporary powers to his personal office staff, Knesset employees, and others to approve gun permit requests.

The police suspected that the ministry had inappropriately granted permits, and last November the Supreme Court ruled that some permits were issued “without legal authority.”

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had earlier warned of a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The office confirmed that 96 Palestinians were injured during June alone, the highest monthly number recorded in over two decades.