Gaza man carries butcher’s knife into Tel Aviv train station

Police arrest Gaza man with work permit after he entered Tel Aviv train station with 12-inch butcher’s knife.

By JNS

A Palestinian from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was arrested on Wednesday at the Tel Aviv Savidor Central railway station while in possession of a 30-cm. (11.8-inch) butcher’s knife.

The 35-year-old man is a resident of Jabaliya and had a permit to work in Israel, according to police.

Authorities said the suspect tried to hide the knife in a bag he was carrying but security guards spotted him at the entrance to the station.

Also on Wednesday, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said that Hamas was behind the attempt earlier this month to smuggle explosives from Gaza into Israel in a shipment of clothing.

The smuggling attempt was made at the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is located at the southeastern corner of the Gaza Strip, near the Egyptian border.

The IDF said that during a security check of goods coming out of the Gaza Strip, several pounds of “high-quality” explosive material was discovered sewn into the linings of international fashion-brand clothing.

The explosives are believed to have been intended for terrorists inside the Jewish state.

In July, customs inspectors at Ashdod Port impounded 16 tons of rocket-making material found in two containers that were supposed to contain sacks of gypsum. The containers, which arrived from Turkey, were intended to continue on to Gaza.

Tensions with Gaza have exploded over the past two weeks amid a renewal of violent demonstrations along the border with Israel, and as the heads of Palestinian terrorist organizations called for a new intifada.