BICOM

Israel’s Defence Ministry said yesterday that Israeli forces had prevented the smuggling of advanced electronic goods into the Gaza Strip, destined to boost the capabilities of terror groups against Israel.

Security staff at the Kerem Shalom crossing, one of two Gaza border crossings administered by Israel, intercepted a truck which according to the Defence Ministry was transporting goods including “infra-red cameras, communications devices and remote-control security cameras.” The statement explained, “The suspicion is that the shipment was intended for terror organisations.” The Defence Ministry added that it was the second such interception within a week and that since the start of 2015, more than 100 attempts “to smuggle forbidden goods and substances” had been thwarted by Israeli forces.

During 2015, Israel has introduced a range of measures meant to ease movement in and out of the Gaza Strip, in order to aid reconstruction. The amount of water Israel supplies to Gaza was doubled after a coastal aquifer had become ineffective. Israel also increased the number of entry and exit permits to Gaza merchants and has also facilitated the export of significant Gaza produce to the West Bank, an important market for the Gaza economy. However, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip has remained largely closed by Cairo since October, after a suicide bombing in Sinai killed at least 30 Egyptian soldiers.

This week’s smuggling attempt comes after the Telegraph reported on Sunday that Iran has recently handed Hamas tens of millions of pounds to replenish its stock of missiles and to rebuild attack tunnels which were destroyed by the IDF during Operation Protective Edge last summer. Relations between Tehran and Hamas have recently improved after the two broke off relations over Hamas’s refusal to back Syria’s President Assad. The Telegraph quotes a Western security official who said that Iran’s funding of Hamas is part of Tehran’s attempt “to increase their influence throughout the [Middle East] region.”