Cigarettes

Zini affair highlights the security and political costs of Gaza smuggling - opinion

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

Bezalel Zini, brother of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini, suspected of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza, February 3, 2026.
Two suspects arrested after smuggling 80,000 cigarettes disguised as tissues.

'Systematic, sophisticated operation': How millions of goods were smuggled into Gaza - explainer

 CIGARETTES ON display at a convenience store in Safed carry warnings that smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke and other harm to smokers and their children.

Cost of cigarettes in Gaza skyrockets to NIS 100 amid smuggling operation scandal - report

Two suspects arrested after smuggling 80,000 cigarettes disguised as tissues.

Two suspects arrested after smuggling 80,000 cigarettes disguised as tissues


Israel smokes out cigarette smugglers

This operation in the village of Barta'a, is part of an extensive and ongoing effort by the Tax Authority to crack down on smuggling and black market sales.

Captured counterfeit cigarettes

Ministers stymie effort to ban tobacco advertising

Knesset Economics Committee chairman Eitan Cabel said the government was “addicted to working for the tobacco companies.”

Smoking

Doctors: ministries, PM ‘do nothing’ to prevent addictive JUUL in Israel

In response, the Health Ministry said in a bill), electronic cigarettes can be declared equivalent to tobacco products so that all existing and new restrictions will apply.

Smoking