Charges filed against two Israeli Arabs for attempting to join ISIS in Syria

Charges were filed on Monday, July 8, by the prosecution in the Hadera Magistrate Court against two residents of Ar'ara – Abed al-Mahadi Gabareen and Nayim Gabareen – who were detained on suspicion of attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria.

According to the prosecution's statement, the accused were apprehended at Ben Gurion Airport while trying to leave Israel on June 11, 2024.

Investigators allege that the defendants met during prayers at the Umm al-Fahm mosque, where Abed al-Mahadi Gabareen served as an imam.

In May 2024, the defendants decided to travel together through Turkey to Syria to join the ranks of the Sunni terrorist organization Islamic State and fight against "infidels," particularly Shiites. They purchased tickets to Istanbul with a connecting flight in Athens, Greece. From Istanbul, they planned to travel to Gaziantep in southern Turkey, and from there, they intended to reach the Syrian border and cross it.