The Southern District Prosecutor’s Office today (Friday) filed a serious indictment with the Be’er Sheva District Court against Nasser Mustafa, a 34-year-old resident of Rahat, for a series of security and financial offenses committed during the Swords of Iron war.
According to the indictment, between April and June 2025, Mustafa conspired with a reserve IDF officer holding the rank of major, and later with his commander-a career lieutenant colonel, in order to smuggle goods from Israel into the Gaza Strip.
The details indicate that the three operated in a systematic and sophisticated manner, exploiting IDF activity in the area. Their method was based on locating Gazan aid trucks that had become stuck on operational routes, and presenting a false pretense of repairing or evacuating the vehicles. During these operations, cigarettes were hidden in the trucks, which then continued into Gaza and were collected by Gazans.
The indictment further states that the defendant was responsible for purchasing the goods, usually in the Hebron area, and coordinating with contacts inside Gaza to receive them. One of the reservists assisted in locating the trucks, while the other conducted security assessments to prevent the smuggling operations from being exposed.
At least six separate smuggling incidents are described in the indictment. In one case, the defendant received approximately NIS 250,000, and in another about NIS 300,000. Altogether, according to the charges, hundreds of thousands of shekels flowed to those involved and were divided among them. In some cases, no payment was received, including instances where the goods did not reach their destination.
Additionally, it is alleged that in one of the smuggling operations, advanced iPhone devices were also brought into Gaza without the knowledge of the defendant’s partners.
The prosecution emphasizes that the defendant was aware of the fact that the smuggled goods could reach Hamas or generate profits for the organization through “taxation," thereby strengthening its economy during the war.
The defendant is also accused of transferring some of the funds to his partners, with suspicion of bribing the reservists in exchange for their assistance.
Mustafa is charged with aiding the enemy during wartime, prohibited dealings in property for terrorist purposes, obtaining something by fraud under aggravated circumstances, and bribery.