The officer served as a deputy commander of a unit that at the time was responsible for the Kerem Shalom area, though he was effectively the officer in charge of the region, as the unit commander had been wounded during fighting in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\t The indictment said the officer \u201cbypassed inspection and supervision mechanisms, and exploited his authority and military position, while presenting a false representation to soldiers and officers that this was a legitimate operational activity.\u201d<\/p>\n After crossing the border, the civilian left the truck in a parking lot just inside the Gaza Strip and returned to Israel with the officer. The vehicle with the smuggled goods then aroused the suspicion of the soldiers monitoring the truck parking lot, and a force was dispatched to search it. The troops also updated the officer, as he was the commander of the sector, and he instructed them to step away from the truck and leave him to handle it, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n A Gazan driver who was supposed to collect the truck from the parking lot and take it to Deir al-Balah in the Strip\u2019s center refused to do so, and instead, the officer brought the civilian again into Gaza \u201cto complete the transfer of the goods.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe civilian drove the truck further into the Gaza Strip and remained there for several days, until he was extracted with the assistance of the parties involved in the smuggling,\u201d according to the indictment.<\/p>\n The indictment noted that the civilian was extracted out of Gaza \u201cwith the assistance of a soldier whose details are unknown to the prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n Prosecutors said that the officer \u201ccarried out these acts knowing that the goods were being brought into the Gaza Strip without authorization and without supervision, and that they could reach terror organizations, including Hamas, and assist their activities.\u201d<\/p>\n \t The indictment also stated that the officer \u201cknew, or turned a blind eye to the possibility, that bringing an Israeli civilian into the Gaza Strip could also assist the enemy,\u201d and that the civilian could have been abducted while he was in the Hamas-run territory.<\/p>\n The investigation was carried out jointly by the Shin Bet, Israel Police, Military Police and Israel Tax Authority.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Police view the phenomenon of smuggling into the Gaza Strip gravely, as it poses a risk to national security in general, and especially in cases where IDF personnel in regular or reserve service are involved,\u201d a joint statement said.<\/p>\n This month, in a separate case, a lieutenant in the IDF was indicted for smuggling contraband into the Gaza Strip in exchange for millions of shekels.<\/p>\n And in February, state prosecutors filed charges against 15 suspects, among them IDF reservists, accused of taking part in a major smuggling ring that trafficked goods into the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n That alleged smuggling ring is linked to Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini. Bezalel Zini is thought to have helped the network\u2019s members smuggle cigarettes, taking advantage of his IDF reserve service in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26120460319642-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tSamah Abu Daqqa, 33, carries jerrycans filled with water through a tent camp in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 30, 2026. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26120014989667-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tPalestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on April 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our wartime journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776896609_875_DH-new-headshot-circular-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n