Two Soldiers Indicted over Gaza Smuggling

Two IDF noncommissioned officers have been indicted for allegedly smuggling contraband into the Gaza Strip, including cigarettes and other banned goods, the military announced Monday.

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

According to one indictment, between February 2024 and January 2026, one of the NCOs took part in an extensive smuggling network that brought cigarettes and other prohibited goods into Gaza. Military prosecutors said the soldier’s father and other soldiers in his unit were also involved.

The indictment alleges that the smuggling operation earned the NCO approximately NIS 13 million.

Prosecutors also charged that the same NCO stole hundreds of rounds of ammunition and magazines from the military and sold them to civilians for thousands of shekels.

According to a second indictment, toward the end of 2024, the first NCO contacted another sergeant first class and asked him to help smuggle cigarettes into Gaza. Prosecutors said that over several months, the two smuggled roughly 50 containers of cigarettes into the Strip.

The second NCO allegedly earned about NIS 750,000 from the operation.

The indictments are the latest in a series of cases involving Israelis accused of smuggling goods into Gaza during the war. The military said it views such cases with particular severity because smuggling into the Strip can endanger state security, especially when the suspects are soldiers in mandatory or reserve service.

The charges also raise concerns about the ability of criminal networks to exploit military access and wartime logistics along the Gaza border. Cigarettes and other goods have become highly valuable in Gaza because of restrictions, shortages and the collapse of normal commerce during the war.

Military prosecutors are expected to seek serious penalties, given the scope of the alleged operation, the sums involved and the fact that the defendants were IDF personnel entrusted with security responsibilities.

The IDF said it would continue acting against soldiers and civilians involved in smuggling networks, particularly where such activity may assist enemy forces, undermine military discipline or expose troops and civilians to additional risk.