The arrest of three Israelis accused of shipping huge amounts of scrap metal to Gaza – allegedly used by Hamas in rocket-making workshops – has raised embarrassing questions over Israeli supervision of exports to Gaza.
The news of the arrests of the three men – two of whom worked for a scrap metal business – was followed by the disclosure that Israeli security officials had warned two of the men almost a year ago over their activities.
About 50,000 tonnes of metal, and other dual-use materials that the Shin Bet security service has said could be used in tunnel building, was shipped via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
Three Jewish Israelis and six Palestinians appeared in court earlier this week charged with assisting an enemy in wartime, terror financing and fraud. The remaining members of the group were said to be Palestinians from Gaza although it was not clear how they came to be arrested.
According to a statement from the Shin Bet, the materials were listed as destined for straw companies. Some sensitive items including communications equipment were allegedly hidden among other goods which are permitted to enter Gaza. It said the goods were sourced by and delivered through Palestinian middlemen.
“In this way, large amounts of materials bought in Israel and smuggled to the Gaza Strip systematically and over time made their way to Hamas’ military infrastructure,” the Shin Bet said.
The security agency said at least $375,000 (£246,000) was paid to the Israeli men and that materials worth $30m were purchased under the scheme.
Hamas – which fought a 50-day war with Israel last summer – has been looking for different ways to source materials for its military wing since Israel and Egypt clamped down on the once widespread smuggling business, including reportedly smuggling by sea.
According to reports in the Israeli media by a journalist apparently briefed on details of the case, the three indicted Israelis represented only the tip of the iceberg, with perhaps dozens of Israelis involved – some wittingly and others unwittingly supplying materials destined for Hamas’s rocket industry and for building the outposts, tunnels and communication systems.
According to these accounts, the traders were part of a covert purchasing mechanism set up at least a year and a half ago by Hamas, as its tunnel smuggling operations began to suffer from Egypt’s own involvement in the blockade of Gaza.
The three Israelis involved –Michael Peretz, Yoram Alon and a third man who has not been named – were originally arrested in February.
Despite having been warned about their potential business activities, Alon and the unnamed man used shell companies to purchase the ordered materials and transferred them to Peretz who allegedly arranged for them to be shipped into Gaza.
The men’s involvement was uncovered when a suspect truck was identified in January last year shipping materials into Gaza. The three suspects were informed that their goods were being delivered to Hamas but they continued to deliver materials via a front company.
Although reports claimed the men had confessed and admitted that they knew where the goods were going, the lawyer for one of the men contradicted this claim and said his client was innocent.
Shin Bet added: “In recent weeks, we uncovered a well-oiled operation by Hamas to procure and smuggle resources and materials used to develop its military capabilities in Gaza.
“The investigation into the affair showed that with this infrastructure, Hamas procured and brought into Gaza via Kerem Shalom thousands of tonnes of raw materials and resources used in military installations, tunnels, training facilities and weapon manufacturing in the Gaza Strip.”
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was not aware of the claims, which he said Israel was using to justify its blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and cases of Jewish Israelis collaborating with the group are extremely rare.