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Tag: Israeli authorities

  • IDF to increase Gaza border security due to smuggling risks

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    IDF officials identified Hamas’s struggle in Gaza, after more than two years of war have left it without stocks of standard explosives, to obtain weapons as well as additional equipment.

    The IDF announced it will deploy military police at crossings along the border fence between Israel and Gaza, in an attempt to prevent smuggling by inspecting military vehicles and the belongings of Defense Ministry contractors operating in the Yellow Line area.

    IDF officials identified Hamas’s struggle in Gaza, after more than two years of war have left it without stocks of standard explosives, to obtain weapons as well as additional equipment intended for its future military buildup.

    The Southern Command, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and police understand that Hamas’s need for equipment is driving it to seek out actors inside Israel who will help supply what it lacks, including by establishing contact with Bedouin or Arab Israeli elements who have ties to contacts in Gaza. From there, the process develops through the construction of smuggling routes, some of which rely on soldiers, contractor employees, and officials operating in the Yellow Line area around Gaza.

    On Monday, the police informed the Southern District Court that the State Attorney’s Office would file dozens of indictments against 16 suspects allegedly involved in smuggling to Gaza. As of now, the police, the Shin Bet, and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division are handling two significant smuggling cases into Gaza. In parallel, there are investigations into the removal of weapons from IDF storage sites along the Yellow Line into Israel, with some of them ending up in criminal hands.

    In recent weeks, Southern Command, under Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and the Gaza Division 143, under Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram has led a move to tighten supervision of movement at crossings between Israel and Gaza.

    HUNDREDS OF packets of cigarettes being smuggled. (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

    There are two types of crossings along the border with Gaza. The first are regulated crossings for the transfer of goods, operated by the Defense Ministry, including the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. Oversight at these crossings is regulated and strict, and includes technological measures to prevent smuggling. The second type of crossings is “operational gates,” gates along the fence through which IDF forces, contractors, and suppliers of military equipment cross from Israel into the Yellow Line area.

    It was decided to install technological systems at the crossings to monitor entries. It was also decided that the gates would remain locked around the clock, and only when entry is required would a sector patrol arrive with the keys.

    Only after a name check would be conducted and cross-referenced with the sector command center list, confirming that everyone in the vehicle is approved and that their entry into the Yellow Line has been coordinated, would authorization be given for the patrol to open the gate.

    Southern Command allocates military police to West Bank crossings, Gaza border

    In parallel, Southern Command decided to deploy military police forces trained in inspections to crossings in the West Bank and along the Gaza border. The aim is to increase supervision by conducting inspections of vehicles entering and exiting, exactly as the IDF did during the period when it held the security zone in Lebanon, or at entry crossings such as the Fatima Gate in Metula or at the Rosh Hanikra crossing, where military police carried out checks to prevent smuggling.

    At the same time, the IDF says this is a preventive activity that will be prioritized by the Shin Bet, the police, the Intelligence Directorate, and the Defense Ministry.

    The IDF is determined to act forcefully against attempts to develop smuggling routes from Israel to Gaza through the crossings, based on the understanding that Hamas will continue in the coming period to try to induce Israelis to cross the lines and smuggle into Gaza tobacco products, cigarettes, drugs, mobile phones, drones, explosive materials, weapons, and more.

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  • France asks Israel to boost security at Jerusalem consulate after protests

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    “France expects the Israeli authorities to fulfill their obligations under the Vienna Convention and provide protection for diplomatic and consular staff and their buildings,” a French source said.

    France has asked the Foreign Ministry for Israel to bolster security at the European country’s consulate in Jerusalem following protests against it, N12 News reported on Thursday.

    The outlet stated that the ministry had received the request, which was submitted following protests in September and October, and was also sent to the police.

    “France expects the Israeli authorities to fulfill their obligations under the Vienna Convention and provide protection for diplomatic and consular staff and their buildings,” a French diplomatic source told N12.

    The consulate, established in 1843 in the western part of Jerusalem, handles France’s diplomatic relations with the Palestinians in east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. It also serves around 25,000 French citizens living in the city’s western half.

    In recent months, the consulate was at the heart of a diplomatic spat between France and the Jewish state. Israeli media reported at the time of the protests that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had supported closing it after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state.

    A picture shows the French consulate in Jerusalem on June 18, 2024. (credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)

    The same was reported by French newspaper Le Figaro in September, which noted that a source close to Macron had said the Foreign Ministry had informed France of the potential move.

    MK Ohad Tal confronts French consulate worker

    Further, N12 noted a more recent incident where, last week, Knesset members were at the location during a tour of the Israeli capital.

    According to the report, Religious Zionist Party MK Ohad Tal, who was on the tour, confronted a French representative who was outside the consulate and asked, “Why do you work from here if you represent the Palestinians? This is Israel. We will make sure that you can no longer operate from here and represent our enemies.”

    Referring to the incident, the French diplomatic source told N12 that “any attack on our staff at the consulate is unacceptable. There have been campaigns against the consulate for a long time. This cannot happen.”

    The source continued, saying, “This is clearly a hostile act against a French representative; we are concerned.”

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  • Israeli Navy intercepts last boat from Gaza aid flotilla

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    Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to sail to the Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian aid, said on Friday that the Israeli Navy had intercepted the last of its boats shortly before it reached the blockaded coastal territory.

    “Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29 am local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza,” the flotilla’s organizers said in a statement.

    A video released by the pro-Palestinian group shows the Israeli boat approaching the activists’ vessel, before the footage ends as soldiers climb on board.

    According to reports, the boat had experienced technical problems and was trailing behind the fleet.

    The navy had already stopped the rest of the flotilla’s 42 boats in the Mediterranean.

    Israeli authorities took more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries into custody, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and said they will be sent back to their home countries.

    The activists wanted to deliver aid supplies directly to the population of the Gaza Strip and protest against Israel’s military campaign in the sealed-off territory.

    They rejected Israel’s offer to channel the supplies to Gaza via Israeli ports, saying Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip is illegal.

    Another pro-Palestinian flotilla has reportedly already left Europe and is travelling towards the Gaza Strip. The nine boats were said to be off the coast of Crete on Friday morning.

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