Israel Indicts Shin Bet Chief's Brother in Gaza Smuggling

Israeli authorities have indicted Bezalel Zini, the brother of the Shin Bet security chief, along with 14 others, including Israeli reserve soldiers and Palestinians, for operating a smuggling ring that ferried prohibited goods into the Gaza Strip during the ongoing conflict with Hamas. The operation, which began in the summer of 2025, exploited military logistics and humanitarian aid routes to deliver items worth millions of shekels, prosecutors said in court filings this week.

The indictment details how Bezalel Zini, a military reservist assigned to a logistics unit in Gaza, allegedly smuggled 14 cartons of cigarettes across the Sufa crossing on three separate occasions. For these shipments, he received approximately 365,000 shekels, or about $117,000, according to the charges. Zini, who held a permit allowing him to transport vehicles into the territory, is accused of misrepresenting the cargo as essential for military operations. Other members of the ring, which included suppliers in the West Bank, Israeli warehouse operators, and recipients in Gaza, trafficked additional contraband such as cellphones, iPhones, batteries, communication cables, and car parts. These goods...