Brother of Shin Bet chief charged with ‘assisting enemy in wartime’ over Gaza smuggling |
State prosecutors on Thursday indicted Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, and two other defendants on charges of trafficking cigarettes into the Gaza Strip as part of a far-reaching smuggling ring.
All three were indicted on charges of assisting the enemy during wartime, fraud and bribery, in addition to offenses under Israel’s counterterrorism laws. On Wednesday, prosecutors filed charges against 12 other suspects in the case, including several IDF reservists.
The Shin Bet said Wednesday that throughout the war, “and even more so since the beginning of the ceasefire,” Hamas has been working to rebuild its capabilities and strengthen its governance in the Strip using money from smuggled goods.
Throughout August and September 2025, prosecutors allege the defendants smuggled 26 crates of cigarettes into Gaza for a total of NIS 3.9 million ($1.25 million), saying it was just one of many illegal deliveries carried out by the smuggling ring.
Zini, an IDF reservist who headed logistics for forces doing demolition work in Gaza, is suspected of abusing his access to the enclave to smuggle 14 crates of cigarettes from Israel into Gaza on three occasions, earning a total of NIS 365,000 ($117,405).
He was indicted in the Beersheba District Court alongside Aviel Ben David, another reservist in the same unit, and Ben David’s acquaintance Amir Dov Halperin, both of whom allegedly smuggled cigarettes into the Strip on five........