Prosecutors on Wednesday filed charges against 12 Israeli suspects, including reservist soldiers, for offences including “assisting the enemy in wartime,” over the alleged smuggling of prohibited goods into war-shattered Gaza. It described the operation as a “serious case of organised, systematic, and sophisticated smuggling of various goods into the Gaza Strip for profit,” which began in the summer of 2025, when war was still raging in Gaza. The justice ministry statement said charges had been filed against 12 individuals and one company. A joint statement from the police and Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency confirmed they had “arrested several Israeli citizens and Gaza Strip residents who smuggled goods prohibited from entering the Gaza Strip”. Israeli media reported that the brother of Israel’s Shin Bet chief, David Zini, was allegedly linked to smuggling cigarettes into Gaza.

Source: Punch February 04, 2026 18:01 UTC