Israeli Arab Sentenced to 4.5 Years for Spying on Yoav Gallant for Iran

The Haifa District Court has sentenced Fares Abu al-Hijja to 55 months in prison, plus 24 months suspended sentence and a 10,000 shekel fine, after he pleaded guilty to contacting a foreign agent. Abu al-Hijja admitted to working for an individual named "Martin Luther" on the Telegram platform, whom he suspected was an Iranian intelligence operative. He was tasked with increasingly complex assignments, including setting up dead drops in Haifa and Kiryat Haim, leaving a cryptocurrency account access code, and photographing locations in Tel Aviv.

His final assignment, in January of this year, involved photographing four sites in Amikam, near the home of former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Abu al-Hijja was apprehended shortly after submitting these photographs. He received approximately $3,600 in cryptocurrency for his services, motivated by financial gain.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of 5 to 8 years, emphasizing that his actions were carried out for an enemy intelligence service during wartime and could have caused significant harm. The defense argued that Abu al-Hijja was unaware of the connection between the Amikam sites and Gallant's residence.

Yoav Gallant had previously been compelled by the Shin Bet to vacate his home in Amikam due to direct threats, and the residence had remained empty and guarded for over a year.