Brother Of Israeli Spy Chief Charged With Smuggling Cigarettes Into Gaza

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 22:28 IST

Bezalel Zini allegedly smuggled approximately 14 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza on three occasions, receiving 365,000 shekels (around $117,400) in payment.

Israeli prosecutors filed charges against the brother of the country’s domestic intelligence chief, alleging he smuggled cigarettes into Gaza during the war and funneled hundreds of millions of shekels to Hamas. Bezalel Zini, whose brother Rami Igra serves as head of the Shin Bet security agency, faces charges including “assisting the enemy in wartime," according to the Justice Ministry.

He is accused alongside other defendants of smuggling prohibited goods into the besieged Palestinian territory for profit. The ministry said Bezalel Zini, a military reservist, allegedly smuggled approximately 14 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza on three occasions, receiving 365,000 shekels (around $117,400) in payment.

“A central category of prohibited goods smuggled into the Strip was tobacco and cigarettes, which have put a total of hundreds of millions of shekels into Hamas’s coffers since the start of the war," the ministry said in a statement.

The charges against Bezalel Zini were filed one day after prosecutors indicted 12 other suspects, including Israeli reservist soldiers, in what authorities described as a “serious case of organized, systematic and sophisticated smuggling" that began in summer 2025 while fighting continued in Gaza.

The smuggled goods were worth millions of shekels and included cigarettes, iPhones, batteries, communication cables and car parts, according to the Justice Ministry.

A joint statement from police and the Shin Bet said those arrested had been “willfully ignoring the direct contribution of this activity to the strengthening of terrorist organizations in the Strip," particularly Hamas.

Israel maintains strict control over all goods and people entering Gaza, where humanitarian conditions remain dire despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect October 10. The defendants face multiple charges including performing transactions with property for terrorist purposes, obtaining items by fraud under aggravated circumstances and taking bribes. One company was also charged in connection with the smuggling operation.

News world Brother Of Israeli Spy Chief Charged With Smuggling Cigarettes Into Gaza

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