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Israel seizes thousands of terror-related items en route to Gaza

The equipment was captured at the Beituniya crossing near Hebron, the only checkpoint for the transfer of mail between Israel, Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and abroad.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

Israeli security forces intercepted thousands of packages en route to the Gaza Strip containing items that could be used for terrorism, Israeli authorities revealed Wednesday.

Border authorities inspecting postal packages at the Beituniya crossing thwarted more than 1,000 attempts to smuggle dual-use items in recent months.

“Dual-use” products and materials can be used for civilian purposes as well as for terrorist activities.

The equipment included drones, radios, frequency jammers and listening equipment.

The head of the IDF’s Civil Administration, Brigadier General Fares Atila, stated that the unit he commands “takes very seriously any attempt to take advantage of the civilian medium of mail deliveries for the transfer of dual-use products that may harm the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Israel’s combined security agencies have been successful in thwarting thousands of attempts to smuggle illicit materials and products into the Gaza Strip in recent years.

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

In many of the incidents, the smuggled materials and products are meant for Hamas’ rocket production program or its military build-up.