TPS: Defense Ministry Sues Wounded Arms Smuggler for Cost of Helicopter Evacuation
Israel's Defense Ministry is suing Kseife resident Hassan al-Ma’abda for 105,000 shekels to recover the cost of his helicopter evacuation.
Jerusalem, 15 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s State Attorney’s Office filed a roughly 105,000-shekel lawsuit Monday on the Defense Ministry’s behalf against Hassan al-Ma’abda, a Kseife resident convicted of smuggling weapons and ammunition from Jordan into Israel, seeking repayment for his emergency medical evacuation.
According to the filing, al-Ma’abda attempted to flee when security forces arrived at the scene in June 2021 and was shot in the legs during the chase, in an incident that also wounded an IDF soldier.
A military helicopter evacuated both to Soroka Medical Center. Al-Ma’abda was sentenced in 2023 to seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to weapons trafficking and obstruction.
The lawsuit, based on negligence and unjust enrichment claims, seeks the evacuation cost plus interest, linkage differentials, and legal fees.