12 Israelis indicted for smuggling goods to Gaza; security chief’s brother suspected

Israeli soldiers and civilians charged after allegedly smuggling millions of shekels’ worth of goods into the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire.

By World Israel News Staff

Prosecutors from Israel’s Southern District Attorney’s Office filed indictments Wednesday against 12 Israeli citizens accused of running a smuggling ring that funneled goods into the Gaza Strip.

According to the charge sheet, which was filed with the Beersheba District Court, the suspects took advantage of the ongoing ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to sell a variety of goods to locals, smuggling in items ranging from cigarettes to cellphones, batteries and communication cables, to vehicle spare parts.

In total, millions of shekels’ worth of goods were illegally brought into the Gaza Strip.

The suspects include both civilians and reservist soldiers, and have been identified as Eliran Algarbeli, 38 of Kiryat Gat; his brother Avi Algarbeli, 41 of Kiryat Ata; Imad al-Din Abu Mukh, 55, of Baqa al-Gharbiyye; Ofer Sankar, 41; Yosef Yuhanunov, 39; Yuri Yakubov, 42; Menachem Abutbul, 39; Nadav Halfon, 30, of Kiryat Gat; Meir Levi, 26, of Beitar Illit; Oshri Dahan, 39, of Telamim Elyachin; Yaron Peretz, 52, of Noam; and Atar Even, 37, of Shaked.

In some cases, the suspects took advantage of their service in the army to smuggle goods into Gaza, falsely presenting their operations as security activity.

Prosecutors have charged the suspects with aiding an enemy during wartime, as well as tax-related offenses and fraud.

The reservist soldiers who received payment from Gazans for the goods have also been charged with accepting bribes. Some of the suspects have also been accused of attempting to bribe other soldiers to help facilitate the smuggling ring’s operations.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Shin Bet security agency and the police department’s Major Crimes Unit.

A day earlier, the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court revealed that IDF reserve soldier Bezalel Zini – the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini – is also under investigation for possible involvement in the Gaza smuggling ring.

A total of 16 suspects have been linked to the smuggling operation, with additional indictments expected to be filed in the coming days.

In addition to the Israeli suspects, police said that a number of Gazans have also been arrested as part of the investigation.