Israel foils smuggling attempt into Gaza

A massive shipment of ammonium chloride used for long-range rockets has been intercepted before it reached Gaza.  Security services became suspicious after a large quantity of salt was ordered by an Gaza importer with ties to Hamas.  Four tons of the chemical were found hidden in the salt.

From the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Customs inspectors at the Nitzana Crossing, in cooperation with the ISA, prior to the Passover holiday, foiled an attempt to smuggle four tons of ammonium chloride – hidden in a shipment of salt – into the Gaza Strip. Ammonium chloride is used in the production of long-range rockets; four tons would have enabled the manufacture of hundreds of such rockets.
 
Approximately one week before the holiday, a shipment – purportedly containing 40 tons of salt – destined for Gaza reached the Nitzana Crossing, which is used for the transfer of goods between Egypt and Israel and the Palestinian Authority. A comprehensive inspection by customs personnel revealed that sacks of ammonium chloride were hidden within the salt. The sacks were found to weigh four tons. Ammonium chloride is defined as a dual use substance and its passage into the Gaza Strip requires a permit since it is liable to be used by Gaza-based terrorist organizations – such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad – in the production of long-range rockets. The ISA became suspicious that, given the large quantity of salt that had been ordered for the Gaza Strip, salt shipments were being used to smuggle in chemicals for use in manufacturing facilities in the Strip, especially the manufacture of rockets.
 
The ISA suspects that in this smuggling attempt the importer, a resident of the Gaza Strip with ties to the Hamas military wing, sought to bring the material into the Strip for use in Hamas' production facilities. This case underscores the activity of Gaza-based terrorist organizations in smuggling dual-use materials disguised as goods destined for the civilian population and reconstruction projects.
 

Israel thwarts attempt to Smuggle Rocket fuel into Gaza

Yesterday 740 trucks delivered 26,067 tons of goods to ‪‎Gaza‬.  Last week, 132,405 tons of goods in 3,870 trucks entered ‪‎Gaza‬.  Terrorists  have repeatedly attempted to take advantage of this flow of aid. Today terrorists have been intercepted smuggling rocket fuel into Gaza in containers labeled "soybean oil"

From the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT)

Hamas makes another cynical attempt to exploit the entry of food for Gaza residents, trying to smuggle chemical materials for rocket fuel under the guise of “soybean oil”.

A joint operation between the David Unit of the Civil Administration and the Crossings Authority of the Ministry of Defense foiled an attempted smuggling of chemicals used for rocket manufacturing. Heading for Gaza, a Palestinian truck arrived at the Tarkumya crossing to transfer "soybean oil" from Hebron. The substance was sent for laboratory tests after arousing the suspicion of security guards and the David Unit inspectors. These further examinations revealed that the trucks contained a substance called TDI, which is a key component for rocket fuel used by Gaza-based terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. The 450 liters of material were seized, and the individuals were brought in for questioning.

The David Unit of the Civil Administration works to prevent smuggling of all contrabands and pollutants, having confiscated around 280 trucks with life-threatening materials and substances since its 2014 foundation.