Man Sentenced to Four Years for Transferring Funds to Hamas

Sohail Bashir has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Central District Court for transferring hundreds of thousands of shekels and dollars to the Hamas organization in the West Bank. Bashir pleaded guilty to transferring NIS 200,000 and $150,000 in cash, admitting he had reasonable suspicion the funds would be used for terrorist activities.

According to the prosecution, a large-scale, systematic, and covert criminal operation was in place from October 2024 to transfer significant cash sums into the West Bank. This operation allegedly involved Waddah Saadi, a former Jenin resident living in Turkey and operating for Hamas, and Nizar Arabi, an Israeli citizen residing in Turkey and brother of another defendant, Fadi Arabi. Bashir, a friend of Nizar Arabi, was recruited for the task, acting under the "real suspicion" that the money was intended for terrorism.

Bashir received funds from Arabi on three occasions in February 2025, passing them to Muhammad Ganaim, who then arranged their transfer to another individual in Nablus. The court emphasized the need for deterrence, stating that actions harming national security, especially those linked to terrorism, require a clear and strong message. Judge Michal Barkai-Nevo noted that Bashir, who does not have a problematic criminal background and whose motives did not appear to be harming national security, acted with "closed eyes" rather than with certainty that the funds were for terrorism.

Bashir expressed remorse, attributing his actions to severe financial distress due to high construction costs, though he acknowledged this did not justify his actions. He presented himself as a social entrepreneur who had contributed to the country and worked with government ministries to assist disadvantaged populations, including preparing people with disabilities and low socioeconomic backgrounds for psychometric exams free of charge. Former Knesset Member Dov Khenin and former Sakhnin Mayor Mazen Ganaim testified on his behalf.

Bashir is the last defendant in the case to be sentenced. His sentence is intended to ensure uniformity with other defendants, though his actions were deemed more severe than those of William Hanna and Sami Hanna, who received 26 and 11 months respectively, but less severe than Nizar Arabi, who received 70 months, Muhammad Hitz, who received 6.5 years, and Adham Dulani, who received five years. Bashir was also fined NIS 170,000, and NIS 30,000 found in his possession were confiscated.