Israeli Citizens Charged With Smuggling Drugs, Cigarettes to Gaza Using Drones
Israeli prosecutors on Monday charged three Arab Israeli citizens with using drones to smuggle drugs and cigarettes from Israel into the Gaza Strip. According to the indictment, the three men carried out multiple smuggling operations using drones capable of carrying up to 25 pounds, which were left inside Gaza after deliveries. Prosecutors said the activity endangered national security, as Hamas could repurpose the drones for attacks.
The suspects were arrested in April in a joint operation by the Israel Police, the Israeli military, and the Shin Bet internal security agency.
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“The defendants, each according to his share, were partners in the export of a dangerous substance via a drone to the Gaza Strip, during wartime, while they were aware that the ruling party in the Gaza Strip is the terrorist organization Hamas,” Assaf Bar Yosef of the Southern District Attorney’s Office said in a statement requesting that the suspects be kept in custody until their trials.
In a joint statement, the agencies involved in the arrest said that they “take very seriously any involvement or assistance from Israeli citizens in terrorist activity … and will continue to act to thwart and enforce the law on those involved.”
The news of the indictment comes as Israel resumes the flow of “basic” humanitarian aid into Gaza after a monthslong blockade. That category does not include cigarettes, which are still barred from being imported into Gaza. Cigarettes have become a lucrative form of contraband in the enclave, according to a Wall Street Journal report from last year.
