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Israel foils attempt to smuggle bomb-making materials into Gaza

An Israeli advanced chemical lab helped security forces stop a massive shipment of explosive materials en route to Gaza.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

Israeli security forces recently caught a massive shipment of explosive-producing materials en route to terror groups in Gaza, the Ministry of Defense announced Sunday

Defense Crossing Authority officials at the Kerem Shalom crossing thwarted an attempt to smuggle crates containing dual use substances used in the creation of explosives and explosive devices.

The materials were discovered within a shipment of medical equipment.

The materials seized by the examiners were taken to a laboratory for testing. The lab identified the substances as a central component used in the preparation of explosive charges and in the rocket and mortar industry in Gaza.

The Israeli Police and other security forces launched an investigation into the incident.

The newly-established laboratory for substance identification was set up several months ago at the Kerem Shalom crossing to stop dangerous materials from entering Gaza and landing in terrorists’ hands. Using advanced equipment, the lab tests a wide range of materials, including gases, liquids, powders, solids, and metals, before they enter the Gaza Strip.

This discovery joins dozens of smuggling attempts foiled by Kerem Shalom Crossing Authority employees during 2017.

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The Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) and the Crossing Authority, together with the IDF’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Israeli Police and the Tax Authority, continue to fight persistent attempts to smuggle contraband into the Gaza Strip.

Smuggling attempts have increased each year since Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.

Many of these smuggling operations have employed imaginative methods, including by sea and via Israel’s postal service. These attempts include the smuggling of everything from gun scopes to entire trucks.

Examples of items seized during thwarted smuggling attempts include drones and small UAVs, security cameras, dismantled vehicle parts, 4X4 engines and tires, lasers, rappelling equipment, professional-grade diving equipment to be used by Hamas’ commandos, communications equipment, car batteries, military clothing, dual-use fiberglass employed in terror-tunnel building, liquid polyester and adhesive material used for rocket building, spiral welding, aluminum and iron pipes, water pumps used for terror tunnels, metal pellets, steel rods and other materials used in the various stages of rocket and mortar production.