David Zini

Shin Bet chief Zini backs agency's Oct. 7 findings, defying PM narrative

Zini's siding with his agency's findings in its probe of October 7 against the prime minister's narrative is the first public break between the two after Zini remained silent on the issue for months.

|ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Shin Bet Director David Zini, October 23, 2025.
Trucks carry aid for Palestinians, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 14, 2025.

Shin Bet employee indicted in Gaza smuggling affair alongside Bezalel Zini

State Attorney’s Office confirms charges in Lod District Court • Gag order remains in place.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN, WALLA
ILLUSTRATION: Benjamin Netanyahu and Ronen Bar

Former Shin Bet chiefs, officials call out Netanyahu, Zini for 'conspiracies against Ronen Bar'

"We express astonishment at the silence of the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, in light of the unprecedented slander against former head of the service, Ronen Bar," the published letter said.

|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
Bezalel Zini, brother of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini, suspected of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza, February 3, 2026.

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.

|BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF

IDF clarifies new Shin Bet appointee was not dismissed from military

An earlier IDF statement stressed that any communication by IDF personnel with the political echelon requires the approval of the chief of staff.

MAY 23, 2025ByAMIR BOHBOT, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir visits soldiers stationed at the security buffer zone in Syria, April 20, 2025.

Netanyahu's office publishes excerpts of pre-Oct. 7 Maj.-Gen. Zini report on IDF preparedness

“[...] In almost every sector, a surprise raid on our forces could succeed, undermining the rule ‘we will be surprised but not defeated.’"

MAY 23, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Maj.-Gen. David Zini attends a ceremony held at the IDF Central Command headquarters in Jerusalem, July 8, 2024