Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet Chief David Zini, admitted during his interrogation that his subordinate, Aviel Ben David, suggested he participate in smuggling goods into Gaza and even reported to him about it. However, he claimed that it never occurred to him that the soldier was committing a crime.
Ben David, in his own interrogation, claimed that the smuggling operations were carried out with full cooperation from Zini. However, the transcripts of Zini's interrogation, which were published by i24NEWS, show that he acknowledged knowing about the smuggling operations but stated that he did not take any action regarding them.
During the interrogation, the investigator tried to understand how Zini, someone who is considered "not stupid at all" by the investigators, did not connect the proposals he received to the actual actions.
Zini confirmed in the interrogation that Ben David approached him on two separate occasions and offered to smuggle goods into Gaza. He mentioned that he was aware that smuggling operations were taking place.
He admitted in the interrogation that after the smuggling operations had already occurred, Ben David told him about them, and he understood that they had been carried out. Despite this, he did not take action to stop the phenomenon or report it in real-time.
The investigator asked, "You are an ordinary person, not stupid at all, if someone asks you to commit a crime, you can think or understand that they are committing crimes. Is that so?" Zini responded, "In this situation, I didn't think I was supposed to commit a crime. After he told me, I understood he had done it."
The investigator pressed and asked, "Why did you turn a blind eye?" Zini replied, "I will answer that in the right place." The investigator concluded, "The right place is the interrogation right now."
"I feel and understand that they are riding on my back with my last name, and maybe on my last unit, the Uriya Force," Zini said during his interrogation, according to a report by Channel 12 News.
Regarding the smuggling events, he explained that as part of his role in the logistical support force, he was in contact with many people and relied on various individuals. He also did not deny that he received money and mentioned that the money donated to the Uriya Force was intended for different purposes related to supporting the unit.
"Since the beginning of the war, I have relied on dozens of people and various entities, equipment, and budgets," he said, among other things. "I didn't keep an organized record; we work under wartime conditions. Specifically for the Uriya Force, people donated money to the force, including Aviel, as I mentioned. We used this money to purchase spare parts and equipment, food, drinks, and perks for the soldiers and their families, as well as assistance for the families of the wounded and the families of the fallen."