Israel's Domestic Intelligence Chief's Brother Charged with Aiding Enemy Over Smuggling Operation.
The brother of Israel's internal security chief, David Zini, who heads the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, has been charged with "assisting the enemy in wartime" over his alleged involvement in a cigarette smuggling operation into Gaza. The charges come as part of an investigation into a network that allegedly smuggled cigarettes and other goods into the territory during Israel's blockade.
According to prosecutors, Bezalel Zini, 50, was suspected of smuggling around 14 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza on three separate trips, earning him approximately $120,000. The charges also include suspicion of "performing transactions in property for terrorist purposes", obtaining something by fraud under aggravated circumstances, and taking bribes.
The alleged cigarette smuggling operation is just the tip of the iceberg, with prosecutors claiming that the network also smuggled iPhones, batteries, car parts, and other goods into Gaza. The investigation suggests that the operation began last year.
Bezalel Zini's defence lawyers have denied the charges, stating that his client was simply trying to earn some extra money by smuggling cigarettes and did not mean to aid Hamas or any other terrorist group. They also claimed that the accusation of aiding the enemy during wartime is "a complete inversion of reality".
The allegations come as part of a larger scandal involving Israeli soldiers taking part in widespread demolitions during the war, with some even profiting from the conflict by smuggling goods into Gaza. The Uriah Force, a small semi-official unit allegedly made up of right-wing extremist volunteers, was involved in these activities.
Critics have accused the Shin Bet chief, David Zini, of keeping quiet over his brother's involvement in the affair and failing to address treason allegations and conspiracy theories surrounding the current operation.
The brother of Israel's internal security chief, David Zini, who heads the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, has been charged with "assisting the enemy in wartime" over his alleged involvement in a cigarette smuggling operation into Gaza. The charges come as part of an investigation into a network that allegedly smuggled cigarettes and other goods into the territory during Israel's blockade.
According to prosecutors, Bezalel Zini, 50, was suspected of smuggling around 14 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza on three separate trips, earning him approximately $120,000. The charges also include suspicion of "performing transactions in property for terrorist purposes", obtaining something by fraud under aggravated circumstances, and taking bribes.
The alleged cigarette smuggling operation is just the tip of the iceberg, with prosecutors claiming that the network also smuggled iPhones, batteries, car parts, and other goods into Gaza. The investigation suggests that the operation began last year.
Bezalel Zini's defence lawyers have denied the charges, stating that his client was simply trying to earn some extra money by smuggling cigarettes and did not mean to aid Hamas or any other terrorist group. They also claimed that the accusation of aiding the enemy during wartime is "a complete inversion of reality".
The allegations come as part of a larger scandal involving Israeli soldiers taking part in widespread demolitions during the war, with some even profiting from the conflict by smuggling goods into Gaza. The Uriah Force, a small semi-official unit allegedly made up of right-wing extremist volunteers, was involved in these activities.
Critics have accused the Shin Bet chief, David Zini, of keeping quiet over his brother's involvement in the affair and failing to address treason allegations and conspiracy theories surrounding the current operation.
this is so shady Bezalel Zini's charges are like something out of a spy novel but for real 
14 cartons of cigarettes into Gaza for $120k? 
that's some serious cash 
and if he's innocent, then why isn't his bro David Zini speaking up about this? 
seems like there's more to the story than meets the eye 
. I mean, $120k for 14 cartons of cigarettes? That's some serious money 
.
. It's not like you were hiding from a secret life as a spy or something 
.
. Corruption runs deep in Israel, and it's no wonder that people are losing trust in their government 
.
It just goes to show how complex the situation is in Gaza and how much corruption can be found even in high-ranking officials 
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. But on the other hand, if Bezalel Zini was just trying to make some extra money by smuggling cigarettes, then that's a whole different story 
.
.
it's just ridiculous that he's being accused of aiding the enemy... 14 cartons of smokes for $120k? sounds like a pretty sweet score to me 
.
especially when you think about his brother david being the head of shin bet and how they're related 
120k dollars is a lot of money but come on dude you can't just smuggle goods into gaza and expect to get away with it 
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️. and omg, the Uriah Force sounds so shady 
. i wonder what other secret units the military has hidden away...
That's some next-level stuff right there.
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. And what's with all these other goods being smuggled in too? iPhones and car parts... that's just not something you can just "forget" about 
. Maybe there's more to the story than meets the eye... or maybe not 
.