The State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment on Friday against a Rahat resident for smuggling goods into the Gaza Strip and aiding the enemy during wartime.
The indictment, which was filed by attorneys at the Southern District Attorney's Office, indicated that 34-year-old Nasser Mustafa smuggled products, mainly cartons of cigarettes, in coordination with an IDF reserve officer.
Mustafa was charged with aiding the enemy during wartime, dealing in property for terrorist purposes, giving bribes, and receiving something by fraud under aggravated circumstances after an investigation conducted by the Northern Police Department, the Shin Bet, and the Israeli Intelligence Service.
He developed a friendly relationship with the officer during April and June 2025. The two then conspired to smuggle the goods from Israel into Gaza before roping an additional officer into the scheme, according to the indictment.
Mustafa posed as an aid truck repairman, taking advantage of the officers’ authority and sneaking the goods onto the trucks before they were transported to the Gaza Strip. Once the trucks arrived in Gaza, the smuggled goods were collected by local officials.
The smuggling scheme was repeated on several occasions, with Mustafa receiving cash sums of hundreds of thousands of shekels in exchange for the goods. Some of Mustafa’s profits were transferred to officers in exchange for their participation.
Smuggling operation benefited Hamas
According to the indictment, Mustafa engaged in the smuggling while knowing that the goods could reach Hamas or provide it with financial assistance, materially contributing to Hamas’ efforts against the State of Israel.
The State Attorney’s Office emphasized that controlling goods coming into the Gaza Strip is of “central importance” to Hamas, which imposes “taxation” on smuggled goods as an effort to maintain power and control of Gaza while strengthening its economic capabilities.
Mustafa also allegedly made false statements and misled security officials, circumventing restrictions on goods entering the Gaza Strip.