Shin Bet chief’s brother named as suspect in Gaza smuggling case |
The brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini was named Tuesday as one of the suspects who allegedly trafficked goods into the Gaza Strip as part of a large-scale smuggling ring.
The Ashkelon Magistrates Court permitted revealing Bezalel Zini’s name and some other details of the case, which is under a gag order, with Judge Yaniv Ben Harush stating that the information was necessary in order to “dispel the heavy cloud surrounding the suspicions.”
Zini, a reservist soldier, is one of more than a dozen individuals detained on suspicion of exploiting their roles in the army to smuggle prohibited items, worth hundreds of thousands of shekels in total, from Israel into the enclave.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel Police said that it had completed its investigation into the case, and a prosecutor’s declaration was filed against Zini, who allegedly helped to smuggle cigarettes into the enclave, Hebrew outlets reported.
Along with 15 other suspects, Zini is expected to be indicted in the coming days. He faces the severe charge of assisting the enemy during wartime, which was added to his pending indictment shortly after the prosecutor’s declaration was submitted.
Israel has banned the entry of cigarettes and other tobacco products into Gaza during the war, with officials saying that such products, when smuggled illegally, are sold for high prices on the black market and heavily taxed by Hamas.
Prosecutors are expected to argue that the suspects in the case knew that the contraband they smuggled into the Strip would aid Hamas, and therefore, are seeking such far-reaching charges.
Ben Harush said at the Tuesday hearing that “it is important that the public knows that it wasn’t tanks or drones that were smuggled. Otherwise, people will believe the rumors that........