Israeli sentenced to 7 years for selling contraband to Hamas

Michael Peretz was convicted of smuggling materials that can be used for terrorism, which are banned or very limited in their import to Gaza.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

Michael Peretz, an Israeli man, was sentenced by a court to seven years in prison on Tuesday for selling illicit materials to the Hamas terrorist organization.

He was also given a NIS 200,000 fine.

Peretz was convicted of smuggling large quantities of iron into Gaza, “without coordination and without a permit.”

Materials that can be used for terrorism are banned or very limited in their import to Gaza.

According to the prosecution, Peretz knew that one of the Gaza traders he was working with was transferring the goods to Hamas.

The court noted that the offenses “take on an additional dimension of severity due to the fact that they were committed by the defendant, who is an Israeli citizen who owes a fiduciary duty to the State of Israel, but acted as someone who betrayed it from within.”

Peretz is a resident of Moshav Mivtachim in the Gaza Strip area which has been reputedly attacked by Hamas and the other Gaza-based terror organizations.