David Zini

"We express astonishment at the silence of the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, in light of the unprecedented slander against former head of the service, Ronen Bar," the published letter said.

Cigarette smuggling into Gaza becomes a national scandal as family ties, security doctrine, and politics collide.

Zini, along with others, was charged with aiding the enemy during wartime, prohibited dealings in property for terror purposes, obtaining something by aggravated fraud, and accepting bribes.

According to the Southern District Attorney’s Office, this was an “organized, systematic, and sophisticated smuggling operation of various goods into the Gaza Strip in exchange for financial gain.”

The accused are believed to have been responsible for smuggling millions of shekels' worth of goods into Gaza for Hamas, both while the Gaza war was still ongoing and after the ceasefire began. 

David Zini's father, Rabbi Yosef Zini, claimed that authorities' true target is not brother Bezalel, but the Shin Bet chief himself: "Most of the public understands this well."

The drone smuggling threat is growing, as the last attempts occured on the Egyptian and now apparently also the Jordanian border.

The emergence of a Palestinian technocratic governing committee alongside Trump’s US-backed Board of Peace has triggered sharp Israeli backlash, exposing cabinet rifts and deep unease.

Shin Bet Chief David Zini announced the appointment of "N." as the new deputy head, with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s approval.

The interim governing body for Gaza will have 15 members, according to Witkoff, though their names have not been confirmed. It remains unclear how Hamas will be disarmed as required by the plan.