Jerusalem, 4 February, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli state prosecutors filed indictments on Wednesday against 12 people, including active-duty military reservists, accusing them of operating a sophisticated smuggling network that sent goods into the Gaza Strip during wartime. Authorities say the operation helped finance Hamas and bolstered the group’s control over the territory. Implicated, but not yet indicted, is the brother of the direct of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), which is investigating the case.
The defendants were charged in Beer-Sheva District Court with a range of serious offenses, including assisting an enemy during war, financing terrorist activity, fraud, bribery, and tax violations. The indictments allege the group smuggled goods worth millions of shekels into Gaza both while fighting was ongoing and after a ceasefire took effect.
According to the documents, the smuggled items included large quantities of cigarettes and tobacco, as well as iPhones, batteries, telecommunications cables, vehicle parts, medical equipment, and solar system components. Some of the goods are classified by Israel as “dual-use,” meaning they could be repurposed for military or terrorist activities.
Israeli authorities have banned cigarettes and other tobacco products from entering Gaza during the war, citing high black-market prices and heavy taxation by Hamas. Prosecutors said tobacco smuggling has generated enormous revenue for the militant group. “A major illicit commodity smuggled into the Strip is tobacco and cigarettes, which have brought Hamas a total of hundreds of millions of shekels into its pockets since the beginning of the war,” the indictment said. The authorities added that the revenue helped Hamas “maintain its economic survival and its grip on the territory.”
The case has attracted particular attention because of its alleged connection to Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini. Bezalel Zini is suspected of assisting with cigarette smuggling into Gaza by leveraging his reserve service inside the Strip. He has not been charged yet, but prosecutors expect to indict him separately.
In a joint statement, the police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said the investigation revealed “systematic and sophisticated” operations involving dozens of people from Israel, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. Some Israeli suspects allegedly wore military uniforms and used convoy permits to camouflage their activity.
“The defendants knew that the smuggled goods could reach Hamas, serve as a signal, help strengthen its power, and finance its activities,” prosecutors wrote. “They acted for financial gain, despite the clear security damage inherent in their actions.”
Investigators said the network coordinated purchases and prices in advance, repackaged and concealed goods, and transported them along predetermined routes. At the peak of activity between August and December, individual transactions reportedly ranged from hundreds of thousands to several million shekels. In one instance, nearly four million shekels were reportedly paid for a single shipment of cigarettes.
The smuggling chain was uncovered in mid-December after Israeli forces seized a truck carrying technological equipment and mobile phones inside Gaza and arrested a local driver. Authorities warned that additional indictments could follow as the investigation continues.
The Shin Bet emphasized that the threat extends beyond financial support. “Smuggling constitutes a significant threat to the security of the State of Israel, as it assists Hamas’s survival and governance,” the agency said. “It also poses a threat stemming from the possibility of using smuggling routes as a platform to advance offensive military activity in Israel and against our forces in the Gaza Strip.”
As The Press Service of Israel has previously reported, Hamas has managed to maintain its grip on Gaza by stealing and taxing humanitarian aid.
Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
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