Israeli prosecutors charge brother of Shin Bet chief with ‘smuggling cigarettes’ into Gaza

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli prosecutors filed on Thursday an indictment against Bezalel Zini, the brother of the Shin Bet security agency chief David Zini, on charges of “smuggling cigarettes” into the Gaza Strip, where about 2.4 million Palestinians face severe humanitarian conditions.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, Bezalel Zini is accused of smuggling cartons of cigarettes into Gaza in exchange for 365,000 shekels ($117,000).

He faces charges of “exploiting his position in the military reserves to aid the enemy during wartime (…) and to receive bribes,” the indictment said.

Zini serves in a group known as "Uriah," that operates heavy bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes in Gaza as part of Israel's genocidal war on the enclave.

Charges were also filed against 14 other people in the case.

KAN said the indictments state that the smuggled goods included cartons of cigarettes, iPhones, batteries, communication cables, car spare parts, and other items worth millions of shekels.

Shin Bet chief David Zini, who assumed office on Oct. 5, 2025, has not commented on the charges against his brother.

Israel launched a deadly offensive in Gaza that began in October 2023 and lasted two years, killing around 72,000 Palestinians and wounding over 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of the territory’s infrastructure.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, the Israeli army has continued to violate it, killing 574 Palestinians and wounding 1,518 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel