The State Attorney's Office on Thursday formally submitted the indictment against Betzalel Zini, brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, to the Beersheba District Court in connection with the Gaza smuggling affair.
"The defendant committed the acts detailed in the indictment for financial gain, while being aware of the possibility that the prohibited goods would reach Hamas and its operatives, and while foreseeing, as a near certainty, that this would aid the enemy, Hamas, in its war against Israel, given its strengthening, including economically, as a result of his actions," the indictment states.
Betzalel Zini was responsible for the logistical framework of the Uriya Force, which operates engineering equipment and holds permits allowing convoys of machinery to enter the Gaza Strip.
According to the indictment, Zini earned a total of 365,000 shekels from the smuggling operations. He is accused of carrying out three rounds of smuggling involving about 14 cartons of cigarettes through the Sufa crossing, for which he received the sum. Among the charges filed against him is aiding the enemy during wartime.
Preserving Hamas' survival
Two additional indictments were submitted to the court, supplementing those filed yesterday, in what prosecutors described as "a grave case of organized, systematic and sophisticated smuggling of various goods into the Gaza Strip for financial gain, at a time when IDF operations in Gaza are ongoing even after a ceasefire, and while hostages are being held in the Strip by Hamas."
The indictments further state that "a central category of prohibited goods smuggled into the Strip was tobacco and cigarettes, which have funneled a total of hundreds of millions of shekels into Hamas' coffers since the start of the war, thereby helping, among other things, to preserve its economic viability and governing grip on the territory."
As previously reported, indictments were filed yesterday against 12 additional defendants in the affair. According to the charges, "the defendants carried out their actions while aware of the possibility that the prohibited goods would reach the Hamas terrorist organization and its operatives, and while foreseeing, as a near certainty, that this would likely aid the enemy in its war against Israel, given its strengthening, including economically, as a result of their actions. For this reason, they are charged with aiding the enemy during wartime."
