World Central Kitchen (WCK) staff preparing food for residents of the Gaza Strip on Monday discovered illegal drugs concealed inside humanitarian aid supplies.
WCK reported the smuggling attempt to Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) after the substances were discovered inside canned pepper packages in its kitchen.
The packages contained six packs of hashish weighing a total of 600 grams, as well as 162 grams of unidentified illicit substances.
“We view Hamas’s continuous exploitation of humanitarian aid for illicit smuggling with extreme severity," COGAT stated.
COGAT added that Hamas “stops at nothing, even embedding dangerous narcotics directly into the humanitarian aid entering Gaza."
“Such cynical tactics jeopardize vital aid operations for their own selfish gains," the statement concluded.