Prosecutors on Thursday filed an updated indictment in the Be'er Sheva District Court against Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, accusing him of aiding an enemy during wartime by taking part in cigarette smuggling into Gaza and seeking to keep him in custody until the end of legal proceedings.
According to the indictment, Zini, 50, was involved in three rounds of smuggling about 14 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza in exchange for 365,000 shekels. Prosecutors say the activity took place during the war and exploited his position as a reserve soldier responsible for logistical support for a military unit known as “Force Oriya.” Zini held permits allowing convoys of equipment to enter Gaza.
Two additional indictments were filed against Aviel Ben David, 31, of Kiryat Gat, a reserve soldier in the same unit, and Amir Dov Halperin, 38, an acquaintance of Ben David. Prosecutors say the three, along with others, operated in shifting combinations to smuggle cigarettes while misleading soldiers at crossings by falsely presenting the activity as part of their military duties.
Zini is accused of carrying out three smuggling rounds through the Sufa crossing. Halperin is accused of five rounds for which he allegedly received about 4.3 million shekels, some of which was shared among defendants. Ben David is accused of five rounds for which he allegedly received about 815,000 shekels, although prosecutors said two of those rounds were completed without payment.
The indictment alleges that about a month after the third smuggling operation, Zini told Ben David he had a contact in Unit 8200, the military’s signals intelligence branch, who warned that authorities might uncover the scheme. Zini allegedly said the contact could ensure their details would not appear in internal systems, but demanded payment in return, asking Ben David to arrange military equipment for the contact’s unit and to pay about 100,000 shekels, which prosecutors say Ben David transferred.
According to the prosecution’s request to extend Zini’s detention, Zini admitted during questioning that he received money from Ben David. Ben David told investigators that Zini was his commander in Force Oriya and that he knew Zini had permits to escort convoys into Gaza. Ben David said Zini agreed to smuggle cigarettes with him in return for payment.
Prosecutors said cigarettes and tobacco are a central source of revenue for Hamas and that hundreds of millions of shekels have flowed into the group’s coffers from cigarette smuggling since the war began, helping it maintain economic resilience and control on the ground.
The indictment states that the defendants knew the smuggled goods could reach terror groups, including Hamas, and could be used to strengthen and finance their activities. Prosecutors said the actions were carried out for financial gain while deliberately bypassing restrictions imposed on the entry of goods into Gaza as part of the war effort.
All defendants are charged with aiding an enemy during wartime, prohibited dealings in property for terror purposes, obtaining assets by fraud under aggravated circumstances and bribery. Some defendants also face charges of offering bribes, along with tax offenses and violations of the counterterrorism law.
The case involves 16 suspects in total. Indictments have been filed against 12 defendants, while one suspect was released after 36 days in Shin Bet custody. Authorities said Zini was questioned by police rather than the Shin Bet due to his family connection to the agency’s director.
Earlier this week, during a hearing on lifting a publication ban, Magistrate Judge Yaniv Ben Harosh said the case involved cigarette smuggling and not weapons.
“It is important the public knows that tanks or drones were not smuggled,” the judge said, citing rumors circulating online. “These are serious offenses, but they relate to the smuggling of cigarettes into Gaza.”
Prosecutors have asked the court to keep Zini in detention until the trial concludes.