Israel captures trucks filled with chemicals for explosives in West Bank
JERUSALEM — Israel Army units have captured several trucks
filled with dual-use material required for the assembly of bombs and
explosives, military source said.
The trucks were captured mostly in the northern West
Bank, they said, and are part of an intensive drive by
Palestinian insurgents to smuggle bomb-making material to the West Bank.
Over the last week, the military has reported the seizure of two trucks
laden with chemicals used in explosives, Middle East Newsline reported. Trucks allocated to bring
humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip have also been confiscated.
On March 14, the military reported the confiscation of a Palestinian
truck south of Nablus that contained 30 batteries The batteries held
sulfuric acid, deemed by Israel a dangerous substance.
"Sulfuric acid is a prohibited dangerous substance in Judea, Samaria and
the Gaza Strip because of its use in weaponry and explosives manufacture,"
the military said. "These substances are used as raw material for the
manufacturing of explosives used for terror attacks against Israeli
civilians and IDF soldiers."
The sources said the military has assessed that Fatah, Hamas and Islamic
Jihad were ordering sulfuric acid and other chemicals as part of plans to
build a secret missile and rocket production facility in the West Bank. They
said Kassam-class missiles and components have already been assembled in the
area.
"Without these substances, terrorist organizations will have much
greater difficulty executing terrorist attacks," the military said.
