The IDF thwarted an attempt to smuggle hundreds of kilograms of tobacco disguised as canned food products into the Gaza Strip, the military confirmed on Monday.
The tobacco was concealed inside dozens of cans labelled as containing grape leaves, which smugglers attempted to transfer via the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing.
All of the truck’s contents were seized and transferred for further handling by customs and other authorities.
Halevi’s decision was made in light of “the severity of the case and in order to preserve the integrity of the aid entry mechanism, while preventing its exploitation for prohibited purposes,” the military stated.
Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) David Zini, was indicted on February 5 along with two other men in a wide-ranging wartime security case in which prosecutors allege that a network of Israeli reservists and civilians smuggled prohibited goods – primarily cigarettes and tobacco – into the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war with Hamas.
According to an indictment filed at the Beersheba District Court, Zini was charged with aiding the enemy during wartime, prohibited dealings in property for terror purposes under the Counter-Terrorism Law, aggravated fraud, and accepting bribes while serving as a public official.
Prosecutors allege that the operation generated millions of shekels in revenue and materially benefited Hamas by strengthening its economic control inside the enclave.