There’s a terrific article in this morning’s Washington Post about how Gaza’s smugglers make a fortune by smuggling weapons, blue jeans, and generic Viagra from Egypt into Gaza.


The report makes clear that Hamas’ control over Gaza extends to the smuggling networks as well. The terrorist group exerts Tony Soprano-like control over everything coming in and out of Gaza’s tunnels:

“For anything that comes through the tunnel, either they take taxes or they confiscate half the goods,” said Mahmoud Qeshtah, a 21-year-old candy salesman. “Day after day we are dying, and Hamas is responsible.”

But despite media hype that Gaza’s tunnels are used to sneak in food, clothes and medicine, the real priority for Hamas and the smugglers they rely upon are weapons they use to mount terror attacks against Israeli civilians, and the Israeli Defense Forces.

Smuggler’s can net $250 for each Kalashnikov and $1 for every bullet they bring into Gaza. They are likely to get tens of thousands more for bringing anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons into Gaza.

Iran continues to play a critical role in providing sophisticated weapons, and technical expertise to Hamas terrorists who train there.

According to Egypt’s official news agency, Hamas and Israel have agreed to a truce that begins at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning, June 19, 2008.


Remaining cautious, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak remained cautious, saying that “it is still early to declare” that Hamas rocket attacks on Israel civilians living just outside of the Gaza strip were safe from further terrorist attacks.

In Sderot, Ashkelon, and other Israeli communities outside of Gaza, two days is an extraordinarily long time not to face the threat of continued attacks from Hamas operatives and their homemade Qassam rockets.

An Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that a “cessation of all hostile acts and military action” would start at 6 a.m. on Thursday.

If it happens, this would the first cessation of hostilities with Hamas since 2006.

Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas official nabbed by EU officials in 2006 trying to smuggle a suitcase full of €600,000 – US$800,000 from Egypt into Gaza now is now ‘unendorsing’ Barack Obama for U.S. President.


According to Reuters, Zuhri alleged that:

“Hamas does not differentiate between the two presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, because their policies regarding the Arab-Israel conflict are the same and are hostile to us, therefore we do have no preference and are not wishing for either of them to win,” Zuhri said.

Fascinating words from a man who openly praised a deadly attack by a Palestinian guman on Jewish religious students studying at a Yeshiva in Jersusalem. In March, the Zuhri lauded the deadly massacre as a “heroic attack.”

U.S. presidential candidates neither need, nor want the support of terrorists like Hamas, its supporters, and heinous attacks against innocent civilians.

Photo credit: BBC

Egyptian security forces seized a cache of heavy weapons in mountains roughly 48 miles south of Rafah the Gaza strip.

One report said that 30 anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons, 3,000 bullets and rifles were confiscated, but that no suspects were caught.

Hamas’ weapons smuggling operations continue from Egypt into Gaza. The weapons, training, and support continues to come from Iran.

Given that Israel told Egypt that it’s Arab neighbor must halt smuggling of weapons and other materials into Gaza as a pre-condition to any possible ceasefire with Hamas, this incident should not come as a surprise.

Egyptian sources said that the mountain region where the weapons where discovered was also used by terrorist groups charged with the 2004 and 2005 bombings of Egyptian resorts in Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh.