Police on Monday morning detained a mayor of a city in southern Israel for allegedly stealing millions of shekels in wartime donations intended for residents of the city during the war in Gaza and the war with Iran in June 2025.

The police also detained several of the mayor’s aides, municipal department heads, and local businesspeople as part of an investigation into alleged large-scale corruption and money laundering.

According to police suspicions, millions of shekels donated to the municipality by individuals and organizations in Israel and abroad—intended for civilian relief efforts—were transferred to a community fund and then diverted to the pockets of the mayor and his associates for their personal use.

The donations were allegedly used to pay for fictitious services from local businessmen, who issued invoices and received payments from the foundation. Portions of these funds were then funneled back to the mayor and his associates in the form of cash or various benefits.

The Lahav 433 police unit launched a covert investigation into the case a month ago.

On Monday morning, the mayor—who was detained while vacationing in Eilat—was arrested, along with additional suspects, and transferred for questioning to the headquarters of the Lahav 433 National Fraud Investigation Unit.

Ironically, the mayor was arrested only hours after speaking at a conference, where he declared, “My mother taught me never to betray public funds.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)