IDF major allegedly smuggled $2.3m of contraband into Gaza, charged with aiding enemy |
An officer with the rank of major in the Israel Defense Forces was indicted for smuggling contraband into Gaza as well as bringing an Israeli civilian into the Strip, the military announced on Thursday.
The officer was arrested by the Shin Bet security agency several months ago, and on Wednesday, military prosecutors charged him with several offenses, including aiding the enemy, taking bribes, and smuggling goods under aggravated circumstances.
According to the indictment, on January 10, the officer led a truck into the Gaza Strip containing 600 cellphones, 125,000 cigarettes, two tons of tobacco, 100 car batteries, 10 electric bicycles, 10 laptop computers, and several network routers — all of which Israel currently bans from entering Gaza — with a total value of over seven million shekels ($2.3 million).
The officer had arranged the smuggling with several Israeli civilians, against whom indictments were filed at the Haifa Magistrate’s Court.
The truck had been driven by an Israeli civilian, while the officer traveled ahead of him in a military vehicle.
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.
The indictment said the officer “bypassed 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.”
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