A close relative of Israel’s newly appointed spy chief has been charged with smuggling contraband into Gaza, exposing what authorities describe as a growing internal threat to Israel’s blockade of the territory. The case, revealed after a partial lifting of a court gag order, has drawn particular attention because of the suspect’s family ties to David Zini, who was recently selected to head Israel’s internal security agency.
The family member was among a group arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of smuggling prohibited items into Gaza, including heavy-lift drones, mobile phones, pesticides, electrical cables and batteries. Israeli authorities classify such items as contraband because of their potential use by Hamas. Investigators say the goods were concealed inside a truck carrying equipment for the demolition of buildings behind the so-called yellow line, an area under Israeli control.
Judges at a southern Israeli court allowed details of the case to be made public over the weekend, while stressing that David Zini himself is not suspected of any involvement. Because of the direct family connection, the investigation is being handled by the police rather than the Shin Bet, which normally oversees internal security and counterintelligence matters, to avoid a conflict of interest.
The case emerged as Israel cautiously began reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. On Sunday, the crossing opened for limited testing for the first time since May 2024, according to Cogat, the Israeli military body responsible for civil affairs in Gaza. Full reopening in both directions is expected, though initially only a small number of people will be allowed to pass and no goods will cross. Around 20,000 people in Gaza in need of medical treatment are seeking to leave, while thousands of Palestinians outside the territory hope to return.
Rafah has long been viewed by Israel as a hub for weapons and goods smuggling into Gaza. After Israeli forces seized the city in May 2024, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insisted that Israel retain control over the nine-mile border strip between Gaza and Egypt, including the crossing itself. Israeli forces remain deployed in Rafah, maintaining full oversight of who and what enters the territory.
Despite this focus on external threats, Israeli officials now acknowledge that some smuggling originates within Israel itself. Security services say there has been an increase in Israelis transporting goods into Gaza, either hidden in humanitarian aid trucks or delivered by unmanned drones in exchange for cash. Recent arrests include three Bedouin residents of the Negev desert accused of smuggling roughly 145 kilograms of hashish into Gaza concealed in sacks of flour along the Philadelphi route.
Other methods include drones carrying tobacco, drugs and consumer goods such as smartphones and electric bicycles, flown from Israel into eastern areas of Rafah. During the height of the war, prices inside Gaza surged dramatically, with a single cigarette reportedly selling for as much as $30. Israeli media have documented cases in which smugglers hid cartons of cigarettes in rubble near the border for Palestinians to collect.
The involvement of a relative of the incoming Shin Bet chief has raised concerns about public trust and governance at the highest levels of Israel’s security establishment. Zini, a controversial choice by Netanyahu, replaced Ronen Bar following an unprecedented dismissal. He is regarded as an outsider to the agency and is known for his nationalist and religious views, including support for expanding Israeli control over the West Bank and Gaza.
Zini’s father, Rabbi Yosef Zini, initially breached the gag order to publicly deny the allegations against his family member, describing them as fabricated and politically motivated. However, a special oversight committee formed last year warned that if a serious conflict of interest were to arise involving close relatives, Zini’s tenure could be cut short due to potential damage to public confidence.
The revelations come amid further tightening of Israel’s control over humanitarian operations in Gaza. On Sunday, Israel announced it was terminating the activities of Doctors Without Borders in the territory, citing the group’s failure to provide a list of its Palestinian staff. The move follows an earlier decision to bar dozens of aid organisations from operating in Gaza, underscoring the increasingly restrictive environment surrounding both security and humanitarian access.
