Today (Wednesday), an attempt to smuggle hundreds of bottles of engine oil was thwarted at the Kerem Shalom Crossing. The bottles had been concealed within a humanitarian aid shipment of cooking oil coordinated through the UNDP. The smuggling attempt was identified and prevented during a security inspection conducted by personnel from the Land Crossings Authority at the Ministry of Defense and representatives of the Gaza CLA.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevi, instructed the suspension of aid shipments from the UNDP to the Gaza Strip until a full investigation is completed and findings are presented by the angecy. In an official letter to the head of the agency, the Coordinator emphasized that this constitutes a serious violation of the aid entry mechanisms, and that Hamas continues to attempt to exploit the aid mechanism for terrorist activity and military buildup. He further clarified that any such deviation will lead to immediate measures against the agency responsible for the shipment, pending a full clarification of the incident.
COGAT clarified that "responsibility for the contents of shipments lies with the organizations coordinating them, and that any case in which aid shipments are exploited for smuggling purposes will result in immediate enforcement measures."
"COGAT, in cooperation with all security bodies, will continue to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward attempts to exploit the humanitarian aid mechanism and will take strict action against any party involved."