Israeli Arab Sentenced to 4.5 Years for Spying for Iran
The Haifa Central Court on Tuesday sentenced Fares Abu Al-Hija, in his thirties, to 55 months in prison for contacting a foreign agent and carrying out tasks under Iranian direction, including photographing the home of former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court also imposed a 24-month suspended sentence and a fine of 10,000 shekels.
According to the indictment, Abu Al-Hija was in contact via Telegram between October 2025 and January 2026 with an individual named "Martin." He carried out six tasks under Martin's direction, receiving thousands of dollars paid through the Binance app. The indictment stated that Abu Al-Hija continued these activities even after suspecting he was dealing with a foreign agent.
Charges against Abu Al-Hija include purchasing and burying mobile phones and an explosive device in Haifa and Kiryat Haim after loading them with communication applications. He also left an envelope containing a password for a crypto account in Zichron Yaakov and photographed a cafe in Tel Aviv. Significantly, he photographed streets and locations near the home of former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on January 21, 2026, leading to his arrest at the scene.
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