An incident involving heavy amounts of gunfire occurred near Retamim in southern Israel on Sunday night.
The gunfire, believed to have come from the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj caused panic among the residents of Retamim.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir went to the scene, and security forces increased their presence in the area immediately after receiving reports of heavy gunfire, but residents claim that the response was not prompt enough.
Retamim, a religious communal settlement in the Negev with about 780 residents, has long suffered from criminal incidents and gunfire from the nearby area. Local residents have been calling for the establishment of security fences, increased patrols, and the declaration of certain areas as closed military zones.
Security sources believe the incident to have been criminal in nature. As of this writing, there are no casualties from the incident, and Israel Police have opened an investigation.
Ben-Gvir alleged that the gunfire was in protest to the destruction of "an illegal mosque," according to Ynet. "This does not deter me, I will continue to lead a policy of demolishing illegal buildings," he added.
The shooting began around 10 p.m. according to testimonies, and continued intermittently for about an hour.
Resident: 'It was like a war'
"We heard hundreds of shots, it was like a war," one resident said. "The children woke up crying, we all hid in our homes. There is no security here, the IDF and police are not protecting us properly."
"This is not the first time, but this time it was massive. We are terrified and afraid to leave the house," another added.
"The rioters in the Negev think that if they shoot at settlements, the police will back down and stop destroying their illegal homes and enforcing noise restrictions on mosques. They are terribly mistaken. We are determined to restore governance to the Negev," Ben-Gvir said.
The minister also blamed previous Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar, alleging that Bar "didn’t want to intervene because he thought these events were criminal and not nationalist," adding that current Shin Bet head David Zini "understands that this is a nationalist event."
"The reality where gunfire is heard near residents' homes as a routine matter is unacceptable, and it seems that the government still hasn’t internalized that this is an existential threat to us. I expect the Israel Police, Shin Bet, and all relevant authorities to enforce the law, collect the weapons, and eradicate this dangerous phenomenon," Eran Doron, head of the Ramat Hanegev Regional Council said.