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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-04 at 07:02
Published 3 weeks, 5 days ago
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Gaza Cigarettes Smuggling Ring For Hamas Indicted
West Bank Extremist Violence Triggers Crackdown
Smotrich Dairy Reform Sparks Protests
The time is now 7:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), authorities announced indictments in a Gaza smuggling operation. Two indictments allege that suspects were part of a network transporting goods into Gaza for Hamas during the Gaza war and after the ceasefire began, with cigarettes and tobacco making up the main smuggled items and other goods including cellphones, vehicle parts, batteries, and communication cables. Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, has been named as a suspect, though he has not been indicted at this time. Law enforcement agencies, including the police, the Shin Bet, and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, are handling two separate significant smuggling cases into Gaza. In recent weeks, the Southern Command and the Gaza Division have tightened supervision at crossings with Gaza to prevent further smuggling. Separately, 12 Israelis have been indicted for smuggling goods to Gaza, with the security chief’s brother suspected in the case. A report notes that five involved earned about a million dollars from a single shipment of 26 cartons of cigarettes. The full public statement issued by the Shin Bet and police on the case identifies 12 involved, including Bezalel Zini, and underscores that the smuggling activity directly aided Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. In parallel, the Israeli Civil Administration’s commander for the West Bank and Gaza, Major General Ghassan Alian, said that extremist violence by Jewish radicals against West Bank Palestinians harms Israel’s security and image, and he urged stronger action to curb this trend. He noted that during the war, humanitarian aid deliveries reached Gaza, totaling 112,000 aid trucks, including 1,700,000 tons of food and 9,600 tons of medical items, to prevent delegitimization and support those in need.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, former prime minister Ehud Barak told Jeffrey Epstein that Israel could easily absorb another million immigrants from Russian-speaking countries, though he suggested authorities could be more selective than in earlier aliyah waves and that social pressures would influence arrivals; Barak said he was glad when he was the Chief Rabbi of Moscow that the “crazy initiative” was stopped, and Pinchas Goldschmidt wrote that he didn’t know it was discussed with Epstein. Separately, dairy farmers traveled to Jerusalem in tractors to protest Bezalel Smotrich’s dairy reform, blocking Highway 1 and then resuming milk supply on Wednesday morning; Agriculture and Raw Food Security Minister Avi Dichter urged an end to the strike, while Smotrich warned the reform would harm small local dairy producers, adding that a compensation package would be provided. At a economic conference, Smotrich accused the regulatory labyrinth around land and agriculture of stymieing farmers and called for dismantling and rebuilding Israel’s land authority, RMI, to reduce the influence of lobby groups and accelerate change. In the political arena, during cross-examination in Case 4000, prosecutors questioned Prime Minister Netanyahu about pressure to accelerate a Bezeq-Yes deal and about appointing David Sharan as an advisor, with Netanyahu replying that the situation was complex. In a separate airing of tensions, Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir argued that the Supreme Court seeks to remove him and, by extension, the voters, asserting that such moves would amount to a coup and that the court has no authority. Journalist Amot Sagal discussed the involvement of Zini in the affair, noting the ongoing debate over the role and influence of senior security officials in political cases.
In Israeli Economy and B
Gaza Cigarettes Smuggling Ring For Hamas Indicted
West Bank Extremist Violence Triggers Crackdown
Smotrich Dairy Reform Sparks Protests
The time is now 7:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), authorities announced indictments in a Gaza smuggling operation. Two indictments allege that suspects were part of a network transporting goods into Gaza for Hamas during the Gaza war and after the ceasefire began, with cigarettes and tobacco making up the main smuggled items and other goods including cellphones, vehicle parts, batteries, and communication cables. Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, has been named as a suspect, though he has not been indicted at this time. Law enforcement agencies, including the police, the Shin Bet, and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, are handling two separate significant smuggling cases into Gaza. In recent weeks, the Southern Command and the Gaza Division have tightened supervision at crossings with Gaza to prevent further smuggling. Separately, 12 Israelis have been indicted for smuggling goods to Gaza, with the security chief’s brother suspected in the case. A report notes that five involved earned about a million dollars from a single shipment of 26 cartons of cigarettes. The full public statement issued by the Shin Bet and police on the case identifies 12 involved, including Bezalel Zini, and underscores that the smuggling activity directly aided Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. In parallel, the Israeli Civil Administration’s commander for the West Bank and Gaza, Major General Ghassan Alian, said that extremist violence by Jewish radicals against West Bank Palestinians harms Israel’s security and image, and he urged stronger action to curb this trend. He noted that during the war, humanitarian aid deliveries reached Gaza, totaling 112,000 aid trucks, including 1,700,000 tons of food and 9,600 tons of medical items, to prevent delegitimization and support those in need.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, former prime minister Ehud Barak told Jeffrey Epstein that Israel could easily absorb another million immigrants from Russian-speaking countries, though he suggested authorities could be more selective than in earlier aliyah waves and that social pressures would influence arrivals; Barak said he was glad when he was the Chief Rabbi of Moscow that the “crazy initiative” was stopped, and Pinchas Goldschmidt wrote that he didn’t know it was discussed with Epstein. Separately, dairy farmers traveled to Jerusalem in tractors to protest Bezalel Smotrich’s dairy reform, blocking Highway 1 and then resuming milk supply on Wednesday morning; Agriculture and Raw Food Security Minister Avi Dichter urged an end to the strike, while Smotrich warned the reform would harm small local dairy producers, adding that a compensation package would be provided. At a economic conference, Smotrich accused the regulatory labyrinth around land and agriculture of stymieing farmers and called for dismantling and rebuilding Israel’s land authority, RMI, to reduce the influence of lobby groups and accelerate change. In the political arena, during cross-examination in Case 4000, prosecutors questioned Prime Minister Netanyahu about pressure to accelerate a Bezeq-Yes deal and about appointing David Sharan as an advisor, with Netanyahu replying that the situation was complex. In a separate airing of tensions, Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir argued that the Supreme Court seeks to remove him and, by extension, the voters, asserting that such moves would amount to a coup and that the court has no authority. Journalist Amot Sagal discussed the involvement of Zini in the affair, noting the ongoing debate over the role and influence of senior security officials in political cases.
In Israeli Economy and B