Defense Ministry personnel on Wednesday thwarted an attempt to smuggle into Gaza 10 reconnaissance drones concealed within a black bag inside a minibus at the Erez Crossing.
A statement by the ministry said that the drones were intended for reconnaissance purposes by terrorist groups operating within the Gaza Strip, though it did not say whether the plot was connected to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
According to the statement, security guards and a K9 Unit at the Erez Crossing were responsible for catching the smuggling attempt.
During the inspection of the vehicle, a specially trained canine detected the suspicious package and signaled that it was suspicious to security officials by sitting on it.
Dogs do not directly smell bombs or drones, but they can deconstruct the components of different kinds of odors which are contained in different kinds of mechanical devices when trained.
Drones seized by the Defense Ministry at the Erez crossing into Gaza (credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY)Smuggling under investigation
The incident has been transferred to security forces for further investigation.
The statement did not yet name the culprit smugglers and it was unclear if security forces knew which of the minibus passengers were responsible.
It was also unclear to what extent the detection and seizure of this many drones for smuggling through Erez Crossing was unprecedented.
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