An Israeli citizen was convicted of contact with an Iranian foreign agent on Tuesday, with the tasks he carried out including hiding phones in Haifa and Kiryat Haim and photographing streets near the home of former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
The Haifa District Court sentenced Fares Abu al-Hija, 32, of Kaukab Abu al-Hija, to 55 months in prison after he was convicted as part of a plea agreement, which did not include an agreement regarding sentencing, for contact with a foreign agent.
According to the amended indictment, to which he confessed, Hija carried out a series of tasks for an individual identified by the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) as an Iranian intelligence operative, including photographing streets near Gallant's home.
According to the indictment, between October 2025 and January 2026, Hija was in contact via Telegram with a person who called himself "Martin," and carried out a series of tasks for him in exchange for payments transferred through the Binance app.
During his interrogation, it emerged that Hija had begun to suspect that the individual was connected to Iranian intelligence. The Shin Bet identified the person he had been in contact with as an Iranian intelligence operative.
Hija hid cell phones, delivered cryptocurrency account information
As part of the assignments, Hija purchased cellphones and a charger and hid them at several locations in Haifa and Kiryat Haim. He activated the devices, installed communications applications on them, documented the locations where they had been hidden, and sent the documentation to his handler.
He was later asked to deliver an envelope containing an access code to a cryptocurrency account to a location in Zichron Yaakov, and to photograph a cafe in Tel Aviv.
In January 2026, Hija was asked to travel to the community of Amikam and photograph streets near Gallant's home. He took the photographs and sent them to his handler, after which he was arrested in an operation by the Shin Bet and the Menashe District Central Unit of the Israel Police's Coastal District.
Judge weighs Hija's confession, life circumstances over deterrence
In his sentencing decision, Judge Avi Levy noted that Hija's confession, acceptance of responsibility, expression of remorse, and the judicial time saved weighed in his favor. The court also took into account his family circumstances, including his father's serious medical condition and the impact of his arrest on his family.
At the same time, the court emphasized the severity of the offenses and the need for deterrence. The judge said the court must take into account "in light of the defendant's dangerous conduct," and added that general deterrence should be included among the considerations determining the sentencing range, given the growing prevalence of the phenomenon.
The court ultimately sentenced Abu al-Hija to 55 months in prison, with time already served in detention deducted from the sentence, as well as a 24-month suspended sentence for three years and a NIS 10,000 fine.