The list of thwarted attempts to smuggle materials and goods into the Gaza Strip for the purposes of terrorism continues to grow, with the latest items including rifle scopes and drones, motors and metal piping.
“Inspectors at the Tarkumiya crossing, along with the Shin Bet security service, intercepted the packages, which were believed to have been on their way to the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said in a statement.
According to officials, the “large shipment” consisted of “hundreds of pipes with a diameter under four inches, with a special kind of screw that is used for the production of mortars and rockets.”
In addition to the weapons manufacturing material, the crossing authority employees also uncovered “dozens of electric motors that are used by terror groups for different build-up purposes, including the construction of underground networks,” the Defense Ministry said, referring to Hamas’s extensive system of attack and smuggling tunnels. […]
The illicit materials were “camouflaged,” stuck in alongside “textiles and jewelry.” This practice of hiding illegal goods among approved products has become the go-to method for smugglers. Earlier this year, electrodes were discovered hidden in butter from a Ramallah factory.”
As has been the case in the past (see ‘related articles’ below), the BBC elected not to report these latest smuggling attempts. That of course means that when the BBC states (as it frequently does) that “Israel says” that the restrictions on the import of weapons and dual-use goods into the Gaza Strip are for reasons of security, audiences have an insufficient understanding of the background and the facts to be able to put that statement in its correct context.
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