Smuggling of Weapons Parts Into Gaza Foiled

Israeli security forces thwarted on Wednesday an attempt to smuggle 60,000 hand grenade springs which were en route to the Gaza Strip from Israel. They were headed for Hamas terrorists, according to initial reports.

Shin Bet investigators identified a Bedouin furniture dealer who had obtained the springs and stored them in a warehouse in the south with the intention of routing them to Gaza. The smuggler and two accomplices were caught by Israeli agents with a truckload of the grenade components.

Three types of springs, used for activating grenades, Kassam rockets and other weapons, were found in sacks.

The capture was the result of a joint operation by intelligence units of the Israel Police and Shin Bet, which had obtained information that the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings into Gaza were to be used for the smuggling of weapons materials under the guise of importing goods for the civil reconstruction of the Hamas-run enclave.