Israel Stops Smuggling Boat, Arrests 3 Hamas Operatives
JERUSALEM, Israel -- The Israel Navy and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) intercepted a small boat transporting material to Hamas for rocket and mortar manufacturing, the IDF Spokesman's Office announced Wednesday.
Three men on board, Mahmed Bechar and Ahmed and Awad Zaidi, were taken into custody on January 19. All three confessed to smuggling the liquid fiberglass to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas so-called military wing.
"There has been an increase in these attempts in light of strict Egyptian enforcement against smuggling on the ground in Sinai," one official told The Jerusalem Post (ITALICS).
During interrogation, the three suspects provided "detailed information" on prior weapons smuggling and explained how Hamas uses fisherman and smugglers to transport material for weapons production to the Gaza Strip.
Smuggling attempts by sea has increased since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered the destruction of smuggling tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip with the Sinai.
The latest incident underscores the necessity of maintaining the naval blockade of the Gaza port.
"The IDF is determined to prevent unlawful attempts to ship weapons and raw materials that may jeopardize the well-being of Israelis," IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said. "This shipment highlights that when Hamas chose to smuggle materials for rockets and mortars, it chose not to invest in the rehabilitation for the people of Gaza."
