IDF Major Indicted for Smuggling Goods into Gaza and Abandoning Israeli Citizen

An IDF major who served as sector commander at the Kerem Shalom crossing was indicted on charges of aiding the enemy, taking a bribe, aggravated smuggling, fraud, obstruction of justice and unbecoming conduct. Prosecutors say he used his authority to clear a truck loaded with prohibited items into Gaza and later left an Israeli driver inside Hamas-controlled territory without assistance. He has been detained since 26 January.

The Jerusalem Post

Since the war began, Hamas has declared control of imports a “supreme importance,” cigarettes and tobacco, which generate hundreds of shekels. High demand for mobile phones, laptops, car batteries, electric bicycles and routers fuels a black-market network that includes Palestinian and Israeli participants.

The Jerusalem Post

The scheme began in December 2025 when a Hebron resident arranged a truckload of goods. Israeli civilians from Bir al-Maksur and Rahat were recruited in January 2025; the officer met them on 5 January. On 10 January he falsely cleared the Kerem Shalom crossing, escorted the truck into Gaza, and then drove the Israeli driver into Deir al-Balah, where the driver remained until his extraction on the evening of 12 January. The officer was detained on 26 January.

The Jerusalem Post

Prosecutors value the cargo at NIS 1,739,292, with unpaid purchase tax and VAT of NIS 7,359,579. A separate count lists 111 mobile phones worth NIS 39,371 seized by the Tax Authority. The shipment contained cigarettes, tobacco, car batteries, electric bicycles, laptops and routers.

The Jerusalem Post

The indictment follows a probe by Shin Bet, Israel Police’s Southern District Central Unit and the Military Police. Prosecutors called the officer’s conduct a “deliberate abuse of authority” that jeopardized security. A police spokesperson confirmed the charges and described the case as a “complex scheme” linking Israeli and Palestinian actors.

The Jerusalem Post

Legal analysts called the abandonment “reckless” and a breach of command responsibility. Human-rights groups warned that such conduct could erode confidence in the IDF’s ethical standards and expose gaps in border oversight.

The Jerusalem Post

• “The officer, whose identifying details are barred from publication, was charged with aiding the enemy, taking a bribe, aggravated smuggling, attempted aggravated smuggling, fraud and breach of trust, obstruction of justice, and unbecoming conduct.” — Prosecutors, indictment

The Jerusalem Post

• “Prosecutors wrote in the indictment that control over goods entering Gaza had become a matter of “supreme importance” to Hamas since the beginning of the war.” — Prosecutors, indictment

The Jerusalem Post

• “After the smuggling, prosecutors allege, the officer broke and smashed the phone that had been given to him for the operation, intending to destroy evidence.” — Prosecutors, indictment

The Jerusalem Post

• “The truck’s presence later aroused the suspicion of soldiers in the operations room responsible for the sector.” — Prosecutors, indictment

The Jerusalem Post

The officer will face a military trial; investigators say further inquiries into related smuggling networks are underway.

The Jerusalem Post