Israel foils smuggling of small reconnaissance drones to Gaza Strip
Defense Ministry says package of 10 quadcopters was hidden in minibus being imported from West Bank; devices suspected to have been intended for use by terror groups
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israeli security guards at the Erez border crossing into the northern Gaza Strip foiled an attempt to smuggle small drones into the Palestinian enclave, the Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.
According to the ministry, during an inspection of a minibus that was being imported to the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, a canine detected a suspicious package on the vehicle.
The ministry said that concealed within a black bag, the guards found 10 quadcopters, suspected to have been intended for reconnaissance use by terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
The Shin Bet security agency was also involved in the investigation.
Israel has maintained a blockade of the Hamas-ruled coastal strip since the terror group violently took over the territory from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Israel says the measure is necessary to prevent Hamas from acquiring weapons.
The Defense Ministry’s Crossing Authority keeps a close watch on trucks bearing humanitarian aid and consumer products that enter Gaza — sometimes hundreds a day — in order to monitor and track the goods entering the Strip and prevent them from winding up in the hands of terrorist groups.
