Off the wire
• 1st LD Writethru: ASEAN, partner countries officially launch joint maritime exercise in Brunei  • Turkish war jets kill 18 PKK militants in northern Iraq  • Solar Impulse 2 lands in Phoenix after flight from Silicon Valley  • China denies legitimacy of "election" by so-called Tibetan "government-in-exile"  • UAE's Emirates Airline debuts flights to China's Yinchuan, Zhengzhou  • Interview: China "deserves big credit" for efforts to tackle climate change: Britain's ex-Labour leader  • EU gives 3 mln euros in humanitarian aid for polio vaccinations in Syria  • What is in a name? Bizarre company names spit online community  • Australian govn't unveils new budget targeting "job, growth"  • EU's carbon dioxide emissions slightly up year-on-year in 2015: Eurostat  
You are here: 　 Home

Israel foils attempt to smuggle fertilizer for rocket manufacturing to Gaza

Xinhua, May 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israel said Tuesday it has foiled an attempt to smuggle four tons of fertilizer into the Gaza Strip, where it allegedly would have been used to manufacture "hundreds" of long-range rockets.

A spokesperson for the Tax Authority said that sacks with the substance, known as ammonium chloride, were found hidden in a shipment of 40 tons of salt.

The Gaza-bound shipment arrived at the Nitzana Crossing between Egypt and Israel about two weeks ago, where it was intercepted by customs inspectors and officers with the Shin Bet security agency, the spokesperson said.

The Shin Bet believes the importer was a "resident of the Gaza Strip with ties to the Hamas military wing. He allegedly "sought to bring the material into Gaza for use in Hamas' production facilities," according to the Shin Bet.

"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," the statement said.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, with many types of products not allowed in. Imports of ammonium chloride, used both as a fertilizers and an explosive, requires special permit.

In July 2014, Israel launched a 51-day-long offensive in Gaza, citing frequent rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave at its territory. It claimed at least 2,251 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 72 Israelis, all but six were soldiers. The campaign ended with a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas. Since then an occasion rocket fire hit southern Israel, usually with no injuries or damages. Endit