Israeli prosecutors have charged a suspected smuggler accused of arranging black market deliveries worth millions of dollars into wartime Gaza.
Prosecutors say Mundir Badir, 48, was a “central figure” in smuggling goods into Gaza, including mobile phones, cigarettes and power generators. The suspect lives in Kafr Qasim, a largely Arab city in Israel.
The National revealed in January how an opaque operation to deliver restricted goods to Gaza was generating millions of dollars at a time of desperate need in the Palestinian territory. At least 12 people, including Israeli soldiers, have since been charged with smuggling items into Gaza.
Israeli border closures plunged Gaza into famine last year, as aid deliveries were blocked and a host of goods, from sleeping bags to wheelchairs, were restricted as “dual-use” items, meaning they could conceivably have a military use.
The items Mr Badir is accused of smuggling include solar panels and power generators, which were sought by Gazans surviving with little electricity due to Israel's war. Prosecutors say he was also involved in attempts to smuggle thousands of kilograms of cigarettes and tobacco, as well as mobile phones, Sim cards, tools and car parts.
The alleged smuggling took place “for the purpose of generating significant financial profits in the amount of millions of shekels per truck”, the state attorney's office said. One million shekels is $330,000.
“It is alleged that, due to his many connections, Badir served as a central figure in the smuggling transactions … who ensured the supply of the goods and established contact with elements on the Gaza side to co-ordinate their absorption in the strip,” prosecutors said.
“In some cases, he even served as an 'operator', who managed and mediated between the suppliers and traders, and the actual smugglers.”
Mr Badir is charged with aiding the enemy in wartime, receiving something by fraud under aggravated circumstances and dealing in property for terrorist purposes. Prosecutors have applied to have him detained until the end of the proceedings.
