'Terror groups planning to kidnap Israelis from Sinai to Gaza'

Shin Bet chief tells Knesset committee 112 tons of explosives have been smuggled into Strip since disengagement
Amnon Meranda

Terror groups are trying to kidnap Israelis from the Sinai Peninsula into the Gaza Strip, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday. Yet, he added, Hamas' hold on the Strip is weakening.

Diskin told the committee members that since Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, 112 tons of explosives have been smuggled into the Strip. Of which, 70 tons made their way into the Strip under Hamas' rule.

In June, the Egyptian police seized 1,500 kg of explosives in south Sinai, yet it isn't clear whether these explosives were destined to the Gaza Strip.

Another 1,000 kg of explosives were discovered by Egyptians earlier this year by the Gazan border.