372 Gaza-Bound Packages With Illegal Goods Seized

Once again, Israel police reported that they had seized hundreds of packages containing illegal items on their way to Gaza. With the recent reopening of Gaza crossings and the renewed delivery of packages and cargo to Gaza, Israeli customs and security officials renewed their searches for materials that are banned from import into Gaza because of their use in manufacturing weapons or carrying out terror attacks. Over the past week, when the crossing were reopened, police seized 372 such parcels.

Among the seized items were digital microscopes, sights for firearms, weapons holders and cases, drones, electronic components, satellite telephones, miniature cameras, underwater flashlights, army-grade boots, and more. Many of these items had been ordered on line, and in multiple amounts.

IDF officer I’ad Sarhan, who was in charge of the effort, said that the army “considers these breaches to be very serious. Terrorists are taking advantage of civilian mail services to harm Israel and its citizens. The IDF is working around the clock to prevent smuggling of this kind, and to prevent equipment that could be used to support terror from entering Gaza.”

Also Tuesday, the IDF confirmed that it has officially expanded the range that Gaza fisherman can sail to 15 nautical miles off the Gaza coast. In a statement, the IDF said it took the step “as part of our policy to prevent humanitarian disaster in Gaza and in line with our separation of terror activity from civilian activity.”

The expansion of the fishing area, the IDF said, is “conditioned on the respect of agreements on the part of Gaza fishermen. Veering outside the area designated for fishing will not be tolerated, and each violation will be handled as appropriate,” the army statement added.