15 tons of sulfuric acid intercepted en route to Gaza

Shin Bet, customs agents find substance used in production of explosives, barred from entry to Palestinian enclave

A truck loaded with goods enters the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing in  the southern Gaza Strip, March 15, 2015. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
A truck loaded with goods enters the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, March 15, 2015. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Israeli border control officials thwarted the attempted smuggling of 15 tons of sulfuric acid to the Gaza Strip last week.

The acrid smell of the shipment, which was recorded officially as 30 tons of paint thinner, aroused the suspicion of Shin Bet and customs officials at the Nitzana border crossing with Egypt. At least half of the shipment, it turned out, was sulfuric acid.

The truck carrying the shipment was then stopped at the Kerem Shalom crossing, before it could enter the enclave, the authorities said.

Sulfuric acid is banned from import to the Gaza Strip through Israel. It is a key component in producing explosives such as nitroglycerin and TNT.

According to Channel 2, the quantities seized were sufficient to produce three tons of explosives.

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