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Military-use goods to Gaza intercepted; Israel re-opens Erez crossing
Israel’s Defence Ministry announced yesterday that a variety of goods destined for military use had been intercepted on route to the Gaza Strip.
A Defence Ministry statement said that officials in conjunction with the Shin Bet intelligence service “have uncovered hundreds of smuggling attempts” in recent weeks through the postal service. In what was described as just a “partial list” of the “significant amount of goods” intercepted, the statement said that they included security cameras, 14 small UAVs, tasers, weapons’ components, satellite communications equipment and slingshots. The statement added that the equipment had been confiscated and an investigation launched to locate those responsible.
Israel places restrictions on some goods entering the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas from importing materials used for armaments and military infrastructure. Israeli authorities have intercepted illicit goods on numerous occasions since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, including chemicals for explosives and equipment and materials to manufacture rockets and mortars. 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, Israel yesterday re-opened the Erez border crossing with the Gaza Strip to commercial traffic for the first time in eight years, increasing the volume of goods entering Gaza. It was closed in 2008 as part of the attempt to prevent Hamas from importing illicit materials and goods for military use. Some 800 trucks enter Gaza daily via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The announcement that Erez would re-open was made in May, but no specific date was set for it to take place. However, a spokesman for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees Israel’s coordination with Palestinian territories confirmed that trucks had crossed into Gaza via Erez. He toldt AFP: “This measure has been taken to facilitate the work of Palestinian importers and thus help the economy of the Gaza Strip.”