FN Browning Group

FN Browning Group, formerly known as Herstal Group, is the parent company of Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal, which makes small arms for military and law enforcement agencies under the FN brand. It also makes small arms for the civilian market under its Browning and Winchester brands. FN Browning is owned by the Walloon Region of the Belgian state.

Israeli Military

FN Herstal is the original developer and manufacturer of the FN MAG, a 7.62 caliber machine gun that is installed on the Israeli military Merkava battle tank. The Merkava Marks 4 and 5 have two MAGs installed: one that is manually operated by the tank commander, and another that is remotely-controlled from inside the tank using the Rafael Overhead Weapon Station.

These Merkava-mounted FN MAGs were used in countless incidents during the 2023-2025 Gaza genocide. They were likely used in two specifically high-profile cases: the June 2024 killing of 6-year-old Hind Rajab with her family and rescuers, and the June 2025 killing of dozens of Palestinians at a militarized food distribution site.

FN MAGs, some using the Rafael Overhead Weapon Station, are also installed on most other heavy armored personnel carriers used by the Israeli military, such as the Namer, Eitan, Achzarit, and Puma, all of which also participated in the Gaza genocide.

The FN MAG is also installed on the Israeli Navy Sa’ar 4.5 warships and on remotely-controlled vehicles Israel used to patrol its border with the Gaza Strip before the genocide. The Israeli Mossad used a truck-mounted remote-controlled FN MAG to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020.

During the 1970s and 1990s, the Israeli military used the FN MAG as its standard issue light machine gun for its infantry units. It was routinely used against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, until it was largely replaced by the IWI Negev.

This overwhelming evidence of use notwithstanding, it is unlikely that FN Herstal itself is the direct supplier of the Israeli military. Some, if not all, of the Israeli MAG inventory was manufactured under license in Israel by Israel Military Industries (IMI), which is now part of Elbit Systems. The U.S. military version of the FN MAG, designated as M240, is manufactured in the U.S. and has been sold to other U.S. allies through the Foreign Military Sales program. In addition, in 2009, following Israel's first large-scare assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, the Belgian regional governments agreed "not to issue arms export licenses that would strengthen the military capacity of the warring parties."

Israel Police

The Israel Police has been using the FN 303 less-lethal gun at least since 2011 against protesters, including in the occupied Palestinian territory. It uses the gun to fire both paintballs and pepper bullets, according to the Israel Police manual.

In 2020, the Israel Police awarded FN Herstal a contract worth some $59,000 (200,000 NIS) for FN 303 guns and maintenance. Unlike in the case of the FN MAG, this contract was directly between the Israel Police and the manufacturer in Belgium, as no Israeli company imports and sells these weapons in Israel.