tel aviv
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The brother of an Israeli security chief has been arrested along with 14 others in a major police raid on a smuggling ring suspected of transporting crates of illegal goods to the Gaza Strip.
Bezalel Zini, the younger brother of Shin Bet leader David Zini, was arrested as part of what Israeli authorities say is a “systematic and sophisticated” operation to smuggle illegal cigarettes into Gaza for profit.
According to the indictment, Bezalel Zini allegedly smuggled 14 packs of cigarettes into Gaza and received approximately 365,000 shekels (approximately $117,000) in payment. Prosecutors said in the indictment that others arrested as part of the raid are suspected of smuggling cellphones, car parts and other items.
The indictment said the smuggling ring included Israeli reservists as well as Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The alleged smuggling chain began with suppliers in the West Bank, passed through Israeli warehouses, and eventually reached Gaza, sometimes through Israeli military convoys during operations.
At other times, prosecutors said, the smuggling took place under the guise of operational necessity. The ring allegedly exploited a large-scale humanitarian operation used to transport aid and goods to the shattered enclave.
Shin Bet internal security officials warned that such activities “pose a serious threat to the security of the Israeli state.”
It claimed that the smugglers’ actions directly strengthened Hamas and other armed groups within the enclave.
“They support Hamas’s survival and governance through the profits they derive from supplies entering the Strip, contributing to Hamas’s empowerment and military buildup, and helping to renew its military production capabilities,” the statement said.
“They also create potential routes for smuggling weapons, technology and equipment, as well as routes that could be used for offensive military operations against Israel and its armed forces.”
According to the indictment, the defendants and their partners “knew that the contraband would reach terrorist elements, including Hamas and its agents, and could be used to strengthen their power, facilitate their activities, and finance their activities.”
The state attorney’s office alleged that the defendants “performed their acts for financial gain, knowingly to circumvent restrictions imposed by the State of Israel on the entry of goods into Gaza as part of its war effort, despite the obvious security hazards inherent in this activity.”
Bezalel Gini’s attorney, Assaf Klein, said his client is innocent.
“He is a man of great merit, and his concern for the nation’s interests has always been and will continue to be paramount in our industry,” Klein said in a statement last week.
He faces charges including bribery and aiding and abetting the enemy during wartime.
Authorities stressed there was no evidence linking the charges against Bezalel Zini to his brother, David Zini, who heads the Shin Bet and has not been charged with any wrongdoing in the case.
David Zini, nominated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was one of the most controversial appointments in the agency’s history, due to his lack of intelligence experience and what former Shin Bet officials criticized as his “extreme worldview.” Zini had no experience within the Shin Bet as he was recruited directly from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Bezalel Zini investigation was handled by Israeli police rather than the Shin Bet because of the relationship between the two men. All cases against other defendants involved joint investigations by the Shin Bet and Israeli police.
