Hamas movement continues to develop its military capabilities despite negotiations with Israel for a long-term truce, security sources in Tel Aviv have revealed.
The Israeli army and other security services have recently been dealing with new and innovative ways by the movement to smuggle arms and ammunition to the Gaza Strip.
The sources noted that Hamas' military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is relying on the post office to obtain materials used in the manufacturing of explosives.
Israel confiscated more than 1,600 “dual-use” items sent to the enclave, meaning the products are not originally intended for military use but may be used for attack or intelligence operations.
The packages sent by post sometimes contain drones, which can photograph strategic facilities on the Israeli side of the border from the air, and even hurl grenades at Israeli troops.
Sources explained that the decision to use the post office to smuggle items into Gaza indicates a change in the Brigades.
An Israeli official admitted that these materials could create more damage than live ammunition, even if the smuggled items are not weapons or RPG.
Israeli sources reported that the packages sent by post also contain mini hidden cameras that can be placed on the border fence during protests in order to provide intelligence to Gazan snipers or those planning to cross the border.
In addition, they contain encrypted radios and advanced diving equipment, some of which are the best in the world. They were meant to be distributed to hundreds of Hamas naval commandos who have made massive advances since their mission on Zikim Beach in 2014.
A security report noted that in 2018, postal parcels sent to Palestinian territories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip amounted to approximately 1.7 million packages compared with 1.4 million in 2017, 20 percent of which were sent to the enclave.
During the first half of 2019, the quantity seemed to have maintained the same pace, meaning about 800 “dual-use items” destined for Gaza.
Most of these packages come from the most popular e-commerce networks in the world, such as AliExpress and eBay. These packages are sent for initial inspection at the Israel Postal Service's main sorting centers before being transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Security monitoring can then sort out postal parcels containing products that can be used for military purposes.
