Following reports published Sunday that two soldiers from the Bedouin reconnaissance battalion were involved in a smuggling operation into Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces announced in the evening that the battalion will be transferred to the Kissufim sector “in accordance with operational needs.” It should be noted that trucks also enter Gaza from the Kissufim area.
Senior IDF officials warned of an expected expansion of smuggling activity into Gaza, as police prepare indictments and finalize investigative materials related to a broader goods-smuggling network. More than 15 Israelis are suspected in the affair, including a relative of Shin Bet chief David Zini, who is not suspected in the case.
The IDF stressed that the redeployment of the battalion is unrelated to the recently exposed affair.
“The Bedouin reconnaissance battalion has operated for decades in the western Negev sector, particularly in the Hevel Shalom area,” the military said in an official statement. “As part of its activity, the battalion took part in dozens of operations in Gaza, defended residents of the western Negev, and as part of its regional defense mission was also responsible for securing the Kerem Shalom crossing area.”
“Given the prolonged stay in the same sector, and more than two years of continuous fighting in which the battalion’s fighters operated with courage and bravery, the battalion will move to operate in the Kissufim area, where its mission will be to defend the sector. This change is being carried out in accordance with operational needs, to refresh the forces, diversify missions after a long period in the same sector, and thereby directly enhance readiness.”
Senior officials who spoke with ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth called for significantly harsher charges against those involved in smuggling into Gaza, up to and including charges of treason, along with severe punishment.
They cited the hundreds of billions of shekels expected to flow into Gaza reconstruction and infrastructure contracts in the coming years, which will require substantial oversight by Israeli soldiers and contractors, as well as deterrence that they say is currently lacking.
The military prosecution, which often takes a tougher stance than civilian prosecutors given the IDF’s role as a societal standard-bearer, nevertheless eased the indictment recently filed against a company commander and a soldier from the Bedouin reconnaissance unit under Southern Command.
The two are accused of smuggling 4,496 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza in May 2025 in exchange for 269,000 shekels ($87,000) in cash from a Palestinian merchant who received the goods.
After prolonged deliberations within the Military Advocate General’s Office regarding the applicable charges, it was decided to somewhat reduce their severity. The indictment includes offenses such as exceeding authority to the point of endangering state security, possession of smuggled goods under aggravated circumstances (an offense formulated by the Tax Authority), obstruction of justice, interference with a police officer in the line of duty, fraud, breach of trust and conduct unbecoming.
The two deny the charges and are currently undergoing a full evidentiary trial at a military court.
Military legal experts assessed that despite the facts described in the indictment pointing to a real risk of strengthening the enemy during wartime as a direct result of the soldiers’ actions, a conviction, if secured, would likely result in no more than a few years of actual prison time, possibly even as little as two years.
“Some of the offenses chosen are almost technical,” one source said. “And of course, sentencing will be lenient because they are combat soldiers who volunteered, contributed to state security and may have even operated under fire on October 7. The view must not be limited to a single case or the current affair. This is a severe phenomenon that is growing.”
Senior IDF officials argued that such actions, and similar ones carried out by regular and reserve soldiers operating in their area of responsibility, constitute betrayal at least on a moral level, not only a legal one.
According to the officials, the IDF invests significant effort in preventing the entry of materials that could enable Hamas to rebuild its strength. As such, these acts should be treated as security offenses rather than ordinary criminal acts.