Beduin man indicted for spying for Hamas

Kaisi Hamamada allegedly gave information to Hamas regarding the impact of its attacks on Israel during Pillar of Defense.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Blood stains the wall of Kiryat Malachi rocket strike 370 (photo credit: Hadas Parush)
Blood stains the wall of Kiryat Malachi rocket strike 370
(photo credit: Hadas Parush)
The Southern District Attorney on Monday filed an indictment in the Beersheba District Court against Kaisi Hamamada, a Beduin resident of Segev Shalom, for giving information to Hamas regarding the impact of its attacks on Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense.
Hamamada entered Gaza illegally despite the fact that three requests he had submitted through official channels to enter Gaza prior to December 30, 2012 had been refused, said the indictment. It added that Hamamada’s purpose was to enter Gaza via Egypt since Israel had refused him direct entry.
On December 30, 2012, he went from Israel to Egypt via the Taba crossing.
Next, he took a taxi from the Taba crossing to the Rafah crossing to try to enter Gaza. He was refused entry to Gaza via the Rafah crossing by Egyptian border police.
The indictment alleged that next, Hamamada went to a house near the Rafah crossing that led to one of the series of illegal underground tunnels for entering Gaza.
There, he allegedly paid NIS 400 to Abu Faiz, to help him enter Gaza through the tunnel. Once in Gaza, Hamamada met up with his uncle, Abu Hasham, who took him to meet with Hamas agents. They interrogated him regarding the impact of Hamas attacks on Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense.
Hamamada confirmed to Hamas that they had successfully struck targets in Beersheba, Netivot, Ofakim and Sderot, the indictment alleged.
The indictment said that Hamamada also told the Hamas agents that Israel does not forcibly draft its Beduin population into the IDF.
The indictment charges Hamamada with giving information to an enemy and illegally crossing into Gaza. It did not charge Hamamada with spying on behalf of the enemy, a more serious charge, as noted by a Justice Ministry spokesman.
The Justice Ministry spokesman refused to expand on the indictment beyond that, but the wording of the indictment suggests he may not have planned in advance to meet with Hamas, but rather had been planning to visit family and was coerced by Hamas into providing information.
The state requested Hamamada be held in custody until the end of the proceedings. The court ordered him to be held in custody pending a hearing on the issue on February 3.
On February 13, the indictment against Hamamada will be presented in court and he will have the opportunity to respond.