Israel thwarts attempts to smuggle contraband hidden in aid trucks into Gaza

Israeli security forces thwarted several attempts to smuggle illicit equipment hidden in humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza in recent days, as the recent surge of aid has made it significantly harder to prevent Hamas from smuggling contraband in the thousands of containers entering the enclave every day.

Currently, a daily average of some 300-400 trucks are entering the Gaza Strip, each carrying dozens of individual containers, packets and parcels.

On Wednesday, COGAT said that almost 300 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza, while more than 380 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations inside the strip.

According to Army Radio, in recent days, several attempts to smuggle solar panels, electrical cables, and mobile phones, and additional prohibited items were uncovered.

The report notes that the Israeli defense system currently has no way of knowing how many smuggling attempts succeed, indicating that not every shipment is searched thoroughly before entering Gaza.

Defense officials told the radio station that the increase in the number of trucks, which followed intense international pressure and a propaganda campaign led by Hamas and the United Nations alleging widespread starvation, has made inspection of each truck more difficult.

This situation has also led to controversial discussions within the broader security system, as different agencies try to assign blame to each other.

The responsibility to check and inspect the aid trucks is split across the Defense Ministry, the IDF, COGAT, the Shin Bet, and the Tax Authority.

“Each one passes the buck to the other, and in practice, Hamas benefits from a flawed humanitarian aid mechanism. The security inspections are insufficient and riddled with failures,” an insider told Army Radio.

The IDF, Defense Ministry, and Shin Bet declined to comment on the report.

COGAT responded: “Before resuming aid deliveries, we developed a mechanism for monitoring and supervising humanitarian aid entering Gaza – in a way that minimizes Hamas involvement, including preventing smuggling attempts.”

“As part of the mechanism, we’ve improved the inspection process, assigned escort forces to aid convoys, and taken proactive steps to thwart smuggling efforts.”

The Tax Authority stated, “Recently, we have observed an increase in smuggling attempts into Gaza. Accordingly, there has been an increase in seizures. Each seizure is treated as a full-fledged security smuggling incident and handled accordingly.”

Last month, several aid truck drivers were arrested after suspicions arose that they were involved in terrorism.

In several cases, “humanitarian aid truck drivers were found to be terrorists or involved in terror activities in various ways. Some of these drivers were arrested and are currently under Shin Bet interrogation. In some cases, suspicions even arose regarding their involvement in matters related to the hostages,” according to the report.

Some of the drivers are authorized to enter Israeli territory to transfer the trucks into Gaza and could use their access either to commit terror attacks in Israel or to smuggle weapons or other equipment back into Gaza.

The recent attempts to smuggle solar panels, electrical cables, and mobile phones could indicate that Hamas continues to struggle with the lack of electricity in the Strip, and is trying to reestablish its internal communications as it prepares for the planned large IDF offensive into Gaza City.