{"id":275249,"date":"2026-02-05T10:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/275249\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T10:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:37:07","slug":"how-were-goods-smuggled-to-hamas-in-gaza-amid-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/275249\/","title":{"rendered":"How were goods smuggled to Hamas in Gaza amid war?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two indictments were filed with the Be\u2019er Sheva District Court on Wednesday, naming 12 defendants<\/a> in a serious security case involving the smuggling of goods into Gaza. Now that the indictment has been cleared for publication, here is what can be reported. Below are questions and answers on the affair that has shaken the country.<\/p>\n

What are the details of the case in question?<\/p>\n

According to the Southern District Attorney\u2019s Office, this was an \u201corganized, systematic, and sophisticated smuggling operation of various goods into the Gaza Strip in exchange for financial gain.\u201d The acts were carried out while IDF activity in Gaza was ongoing, even after the ceasefire, and while hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas. The period in question is the summer of 2025.<\/p>\n

At that time, the Gaza area was still under active warfare, had been declared a closed military zone, and entry was permitted by security authorities only for operational purposes. At regulated commercial crossings, which is not the case here, approvals are examined as part of an orderly inspection process, and the type and quantity of goods are authorized before entry into Gaza. The defendants bypassed this orderly process.<\/p>\n

Why is the case so severe?<\/p>\n

The severity of the case lies in the claim that the defendants carried out the smuggling while aware of the possibility that the prohibited goods would reach Hamas and its operatives, \u201cwhile foreseeing as a near certainty that this could be worthwhile in assisting the enemy, Hamas, in its war against Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the indictment, the acts economically strengthened Hamas, which collects \u201ctaxation\u201d commissions even on transactions not intended for it, and also seizes control of goods. This underlies the heightened severity of the allegations, namely that the defendants effectively assisted the enemy during wartime and enabled the murderous terror organization, among other things, to pay salaries and recruit new operatives.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo suspects arrested after smuggling 80,000 cigarettes disguised as tissues. (credit: Police Spokesperson )What goods were smuggled, for what sums?<\/p>\n

The smuggled goods included cartons of cigarettes<\/a>, iPhones, batteries, communications cables, vehicle spare parts, and more, with a total value reaching millions of shekels. A central prohibited commodity smuggled into the Strip was tobacco and cigarettes, which have funneled hundreds of millions of shekels into Hamas\u2019s coffers since the start of the war, helping it to, among other things, maintain itself economically and preserve governing control in the territory.<\/p>\n

The indictment details specific sums. For example, during August to September 2025, several of the defendants together smuggled 26 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza in exchange for a total of approximately NIS 3,900,000. In late October, cigarettes, around 100 iPhones, mobile phones, and medical equipment were smuggled, valued at NIS 900,000. In November, 400 iPhones were smuggled, valued at NIS 350,000.<\/p>\n

Who are the accused, and what are the charges against them?<\/p>\n

Some of the defendants are civilians, and others are reservists. Their ages range from 37 to 52.<\/p>\n

All defendants are charged with aiding the enemy during wartime, an offense that under Israel\u2019s Penal Code carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment or death. They are also charged with prohibited dealings in property for terror purposes, obtaining something by aggravated fraud, and bribery. Four of them are additionally charged with accepting bribes. The defendants are also charged with tax offenses and offenses under the Counter Terrorism Law. These are serious charges that could result in heavy sentences if convictions are secured.<\/p>\n

How were the goods smuggled into the Gaza Strip?<\/p>\n

In all of the smuggling operations, the defendants or others acting on their behalf entered the Gaza Strip with the goods while presenting false representations to military forces, claiming the entry was for security purposes. It is alleged that after the goods were delivered to a meeting point, they were transferred for repackaging and concealment, loaded and transported along a prearranged route, using camouflage methods including military clothing and the appearance of activity connected to the IDF.<\/p>\n

After crossing the border<\/a>, the goods were placed at an agreed delivery point inside the Strip, in coordination with the Gaza based contact, and the operatives returned to Israeli territory. In some cases, the goods were brought into Gaza in exchange for payment to defendants who were serving at the time in active reserve duty, and they are charged with accepting bribes.<\/p>\n

How is the brother of Shin Bet Chief David Zini connected?<\/p>\n

It should be noted that Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) Chief’s brother Betzalel Zini<\/a> is not among the defendants at this stage. However, he is apparently expected to be indicted soon, along with additional new defendants. He is suspected of smuggling goods, specifically cigarettes, though it remains to be seen which offenses will be attributed to him and the scope of the alleged smuggling.<\/p>\n

\"BezalelBezalel Zini, brother of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini, suspected of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza, February 3, 2026. (credit: SCREENSHOT\/X, SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)<\/p>\n

In addition, the indictment against the other defendants mentions that another defendant approached him and offered a bribe to him and to another individual, who were then serving in the reserves in \u201cTeam Oria\u201d and had authorizations to bring convoys of vehicles into the Strip. The defendant allegedly proposed that they carry out the smuggling in exchange for a share of the profits.<\/p>\n

On one occasion, this defendant transferred a carton of cigarettes to Zini’s vehicle, from where Zini and another individual transferred the goods into the Gaza Strip. It is important to note that Zini denies the allegations attributed to him, and that the mere fact that a defendant allegedly offered him a bribe does not mean he will necessarily be charged with accepting a bribe.<\/p>\n

The offense of \u201caiding the enemy during wartime\u201d attributed to the defendants is among the most severe in the Israeli legal code. Under the Penal Code, \u201cAnyone who commits an act with intent to assist the enemy in its war against Israel, and whose act is capable of assisting such a purpose, shall be liable to death or life imprisonment.\u201d Naturally, the prosecution will need to prove that the defendants had awareness and intent to assist Hamas. This is a long and difficult evidentiary path, and the charge may later be removed, whether as part of a plea deal or otherwise.<\/p>\n

The defendants’ statement<\/p>\n

Attorney Shani Dari, representing three of the defendants in the case, said, \u201cAfter reviewing the indictment, it appears that these were offenses committed for financial gain and not offenses or individuals who sought to strengthen the terror organization Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe indictment raises a baseless assumption that the defendants should have known that cigarettes were being sold at exorbitant prices and were intended to serve the interests of the terror organization, which in practice is not true and is far removed from reality, and that the defendants were not aware of consequences beyond economic profit. From there to accusing them of aiding the enemy during wartime, an offense carrying life imprisonment or the death penalty, is completely unfounded. The inclusion of this charge is intended to serve a political event related to the appointment of the Shin Bet chief, and nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two indictments were filed with the Be\u2019er Sheva District Court on Wednesday, naming 12 defendants in a serious…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[40197,737,19770,69,51,42,129732,61,43,1349,58,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-275249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-cigarettes","tag-crime","tag-david-zini","tag-gaza-strip","tag-hamas","tag-headlines","tag-indictment","tag-israel-hamas-war","tag-news","tag-smuggling","tag-the-october-7-massacre","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}