Aid trucks approaching the Rafah crossing point in southern Gaza, on the Egyptian side, in October 2025. Illustrative photo AFP.
A trafficking operation reportedly funneling "several hundreds of millions of shekels into Hamas' coffers" since the start of the Gaza war has been revealed by Israel’s Justice Ministry on Wednesday. The case directly involves Bezalel Zini, the brother of David Zini, the current head of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency.
Bezalel Zini, along with about a dozen others — including active-duty and reservist soldiers — is accused of facilitating the delivery of several tons of illegal goods into the Gaza Strip. The shipments included mostly cigarettes, but also cell phones, car parts and batteries, items that the Israeli government strictly forbids importing into the enclave.
The suspects face charges of aiding the enemy in time of war, financing terrorist activity and fraud. According to the Justice Ministry, Zini, a reservist in the Israeli army, reportedly orchestrated three shipments of 14 boxes of cigarettes, for which he received 365,000 shekels (over $118,000). He was arrested two weeks ago along with his subordinate, Aviel Ben David and the latter's acquaintance, Amir Dov Halperin, who are suspected of handling five of the deliveries.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Zini commanded a civil engineering team in Gaza tasked with demolishing buildings. His access to the enclave reportedly allowed him to set up the smuggling network, at a time when humanitarian aid entry remains extremely limited.
Deliveries using Israeli army trucks
Several local media outlets reported Israeli officials had long suspected a smuggling ring involving both active and reserve soldiers. The Justice Ministry said the operation has been active since June 2025 and relied on Israeli army trucks for smuggling activity, camouflaging deliveries as military activity.
Tobacco prices in Gaza have soared amid the Israeli offensive and tight import restrictions, reaching up to $15 per cigarette, according to Lebanese outlet Daraj. The commodity is heavily taxed by both Hamas and the smuggling networks operating in the enclave, including in this case the Israeli suspects.
Israeli police are leading the investigation, having taken over from Shin Bet due to the family connection between the suspect and the agency chief. David Zini assumed the Shin Bet post in September 2025 amid protests from hostage families who criticized his perceived opposing stance against a cease-fire in Gaza. However, he retains the support of Israel’s far-right factions and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said in a video that he had "known him for 18 years."
Also on Wednesday, the Justice Ministry disclosed a separate corruption case involving Tomer Glam, the mayor of Ashkelon, a southern port city targeted by Hamas rockets in April 2025. Glam, who has served as mayor since 2017, is suspected of embezzling several million shekels in donations intended for war victims. He has since been placed under house arrest.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
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