An indictment will be filed against 13 of the suspects involved in the smuggling of goods to Gaza, Haaretz has learned, after an Israeli court on Tuesday partially lifted a gag order on a security affair currently under investigation concerning the smuggling of goods from Israel into the Gaza Strip.
The Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court also cleared for publication the fact that the case involves numerous suspects. The affair involves several security bodies and is being investigated by the Israel Shin Bet security service and the Israel Police, and places Shin Bet chief David Zini in a conflict of interest.
Haaretz has submitted a request to the court to permit the publication of further details about the case.
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Trucks waiting at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza last week. Credit: Eliyahu Hershkowitz
Trucks waiting at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza last week. Credit: Eliyahu HershkowitzRelated Articles
On Sunday, Haaretz reported that military officials suspect that Israelis – Defense Ministry contractors in Gaza, truck drivers, infrastructure workers and even active-duty soldiers and reservists, are smuggling equipment into the Gaza Strip for money, taking advantage of the army’s lax security along the border.
Military sources point to failures in the army’s handling of the situation. According to them, any oversight over the hundreds of Israelis entering and exiting Gaza is weak, bordering on nonexistent. “There are people who just say hello at the gate and go in,” a senior officer told Haaretz.
“No one really checks what they’re carrying, what’s in the truck or who coordinated their entry,” the source added.