Something smells fishy in Gaza. Fisherman caught smuggling terror supplies

One of the tried and true memes of anti-Israel activists in the digital age is "Israel targets fishermen." It does happen, because apparently its more cost effective to use a boat in Gaza for smuggling, rather than actually fishing.

On Jan 19,   the Israeli Navy and the Shin Bet intercepted a  "fishing" boat traveling from Sinai to the Gaza Strip, carrying material for the production of rockets and mortars.

This is precisely why there is a legal maritime blockade on Gaza.

From the J Post

During questioning, the three suspects on board told the Shin Bet that their smuggling attempt was aimed at assisting Hamas’s military wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigade, by providing it with raw material for building rockets and mortar shells.

The Israel Police’s southern district also took part in the investigation. According to security officials, many details on sea-based smuggling attempts between Gaza and Sinai emerged during the investigation, shedding light on how Hamas’s military wing uses the Mediterranean as a smuggling route.

Hamas also uses the sea for the smuggling civilian products to sell to Gaza’s residents, and uses the profits for its purposes, the Shin Bet added.

“Recently, Hamas has invested much in exploiting naval smuggling routes, partly due to Egypt’s efforts to prevent smuggling tunnels that linked Sinai and Gaza,” it said.

The three suspects captured on board the boat were charged on Wednesday at the Beersheba District Court with a range of security offenses.

Read it all here