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Israeli authorities prevent attempt to smuggle drones into Gaza Strip

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Israel’s Defence Ministry announced yesterday that authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle drones fitted with advanced cameras into the Gaza Strip.

Goods enter the Gaza Strip from Israel on a daily basis, but a joint task force, comprising the Shin Bet, IDF Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, Israeli Police and the Crossings Authority operate to prevent attempts by Hamas to smuggle items which would boost its military capability. The announcement yesterday said that a truck load of toys was searched at the Kerem Shalom crossing and was found to include drones of varying types and sizes, fitted with advanced cameras intended to spy on Israeli targets and positions.

The Shin Bet said that it was one of several recent attempts to smuggle drones into Gaza. The equipment was confiscated and an investigation launched to track down the smuggling network responsible.

During 2015, Israel introduced a range of measures meant to ease movement in and out of the Gaza Strip, in order to aid reconstruction in the wake of Operation Protective Edge in 2014. These included an increased number of entry and exit permits to Gaza merchants and facilitating the export of significant produce to the West Bank, an important market for the Gaza economy.

However, during the same period, numerous attempts to smuggle illicit goods into Gaza have been prevented, including components for explosive material. Hamas is thought to be rearming, replenishing its arsenal of rockets, while it openly admits to rebuilding the complex network of tunnels designed to attack Israel.

Meanwhile, Al-Monitor reports on growing warm relations between Hamas and Iran. The two drifted apart over Hamas’ refusal to back Iran’s ally, President Assad in the Syrian Civil War. However, Hamas politburo members Mohammed Nasr and Osama Hamdan apparently visited Tehran this month and met with top Iranian officials including parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Maj. Gen. Qasem Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force, which directs overseas operations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.