Two soldiers indicted for smuggling contraband into Gaza

Two noncommissioned officers in the IDF have been indicted for smuggling contraband into the Gaza Strip, the military announces.

The pair, both with the rank of sergeant first class, are charged with aiding the enemy, accepting bribes, smuggling under aggravated circumstances, tax offenses, money laundering, and additional offenses.

According to an indictment, between February 2024 and January of this year, one of the NCOs was involved in an “extensive smuggling network” that brought cigarettes and other banned goods into the Gaza Strip. The NCOs father and other soldiers in his unit were also involved.

Military prosecutors say that the smuggling netted the NCO approximately 13 million shekels.

Additionally, the NCO stole hundreds of rounds of ammunition and magazines from the military and sold them to civilians for thousands of shekels, the indictment says.

According to a second indictment, at the end of 2024 the first NCO contacted the second and asked him to smuggle cigarettes into Gaza.

Prosecutors say that over the course of several months, the two smuggled approximately 50 containers of cigarettes, which netted the second NCO some NIS 750,000.

There have been several cases of Israelis charged with smuggling into Gaza. The military says it views cases of smuggling into Gaza “gravely,” as it “poses a risk to state security in general, and especially in cases involving IDF personnel in mandatory or reserve service.”