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Wednesday, March 11, 2026
State prosecutors appeal release of 5 smuggling suspects, including Shin Bet chief’s brother, to house arrest
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State prosecutors file an appeal in the Supreme Court against a lower court’s decision to release five suspects in a Gaza smuggling ring to house arrest.
Among the suspects is Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini.
In their appeal against the Beersheba District Court ruling handed down yesterday, prosecutors say Zini and the others should be treated not just as smugglers, but as if they had provided direct funding to the Hamas terror group.
“Do not regard the smuggling of goods as [just] crates of cigarettes, phones and other products, but rather as the introduction of suitcases of cash to a terrorist organization,” the appeal reads, according to the Ynet outlet.
Zini, an IDF reservist who headed logistics for forces doing demolition work in Gaza, is suspected of abusing his access to the enclave to smuggle 14 crates of cigarettes from Israel into Gaza on three occasions, earning a total of NIS 365,000 ($117,405).
He was indicted in February on charges of assisting the enemy during wartime, fraud and bribery. He is set to be freed to house arrest today, unless the Supreme Court accepts the prosecution’s appeal.
In order to keep a suspect in custody prior to conviction, a judge must decide that there is a high probability that the individual poses a danger to others or is liable to obstruct legal proceedings if released.
The Times of Israel Community.