Israel is distributing small arms to the homes of approximately 10,000 reserve soldiers as part of the country’s goal to boost domestic security.

Tel Aviv frames the move as part of lessons drawn from the October 2023 attack that triggered the ongoing conflict between President Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration and the Sunni Islamist Palestinian militant group Hamas.

It aims to close the gaps exposed during the event, when citizens living along the Gaza border “were left unprotected for hours” and “local emergency squads had no access to weapons,” local Israeli news agency Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Firearms included in the project are M4 and M16 assault rifles, alongside magazines and combat gear. Soldiers will receive the weapons at their residences and store them in army-provided safes.

The outlet said the weapons are standard-issue small arms instead of encrypted systems or heavy weapons, and will be used under strict supervision.

Hundreds of service members have already received rifles, with additional deliveries expected as recruitment expands.

For Israeli Army’s 96th Division

The effort will issue the firearms to members of the Israeli Ground Forces’ 96th Division “Gilead,” a reserve unit formed in 2024 to protect local communities in events similar to the Hamas cross-border infiltration.

Members of the division are volunteers aged 40 to 60 and operate under the Israel Defense Forces Central Command, which is assigned to the regions of the West Bank, Jerusalem, the Sharon plain, the Gush Dan metropolitan area, and the Judean Foothills.

Col. Roi, commander of Gilead, emphasized in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth that the division supports rapid battalion deployment “that can respond immediately and hold the line until regular forces arrive.”

“This isn’t a hostage rescue force,” he said. “These units are meant to hold roadblocks, secure strategic points and respond fast. After October 7, we no longer need to imagine what it means to drop everything and head straight into combat — it already happened. This time, we’ll be ready.”