Weapons confiscated from Gaza smugglers
Weapons confiscated from Gaza smugglersדובר צה"ל

Israeli authorities foiled a large smuggling operation at the Erez Crossing on the Gaza Border, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.

Hundreds of packages ordered from various websites, including Chinese provider AliExpress, were seized in October. The packages were intended for operatives from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations.

Officials from the Defense Ministry’s Crossing Authority, the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and Gaza District Coordination Office (DCO) noticed the suspicious packages and confiscated them.

The Defense Ministry Stated that the seized packages included laser sights, telescopes, binoculars, laser pointers, metal detectors, radios, camouflage devices, miniature drones, cameras and night vision goggles, which can be used both for civilian purposes and to assemble weapons. The authorities also seized computer motherboards and electronic circuits, inverters, optical cable cutter, optical magnification device, mini electric drills, professional headlamps, voltage stabilizers, power supplies and optical connectors.

“It is suspected that some of the devices seized could have been used as improvised weapons,” the Defense Ministry stated.

Dual-use items require a special permit to be allowed into Gaza, as they can be used for terrorist activity.