State prosecutors have filed a serious indictment in Beersheba District Court against two Bedouin men, Hani Hamidi, 38, and Marwan Ahmidi, 24, from the Bedouin diaspora, over drone-based smuggling into Gaza. The men are accused of sending drugs and cigarettes into the Strip using drones assembled in part from equipment stolen from the Israel Defense Forces, in a case prosecutors say could aid terrorism.
According to the indictment filed by South District prosecutor Asaf Bar Yosef, a broad smuggling pattern via drones from Israel into Gaza has been identified since December 2024. During that period, more than 170 drone crossings from Israel into the Strip were detected, and no drones were found returning to Israeli territory. Prosecutors say such drones could end up in the hands of terror operatives and be used for operational, intelligence, or attack purposes, as Hamas has done.
The indictment says that in May, the defendants conspired with others to export drugs and cigarettes to Gaza by drone. Late at night, they and two additional people went to an open area near Kibbutz Re'im with two drones. Each drone was loaded with about 6 kilograms of cannabis or hashish, along with cartons of cigarettes. One drone reached its destination inside Gaza, while the other was struck by the IDF after landing inside the Strip.
After the smuggling attempt, the suspects tried to flee from a police force waiting near the Goral Junction. They made a U-turn and attempted to escape until police blocked their vehicle and arrested them. Another off-road vehicle involved in the case broke through a barrier and fled despite the police chase. A search of their vehicle uncovered a drone controller, drone parts, and a night-vision device stolen from the IDF in 2023. In a parallel detention request, Bar Yosef said the acts were committed while a ceasefire is in place, but with many IDF forces still operating in Gaza, and that the defendants knew Hamas controls the Strip and that the drones could be used for terror, endangering Israel and the lives of soldiers and civilians.
