The European Union on Sunday denied any connection to bags that Israel said were marked as containing EU aid "sugar" but actually filled with bomb-making chemicals bound for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
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| Army finds explosive chemicals in EU aid bags / Reuters |
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6.5 tons of potassium nitrate hidden in sacks marked as sugar from the European Union for needy Palestinians in Gaza. EU declines comment |
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The Israeli army said on Saturday it seized 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate aboard a Palestinian truck traveling through the West Bank en route to Gaza.
Video footage of the haul showed white sacks with the spray-painted label: 'EEC 2 Sugar Exported from EU'
Potassium nitrate is used to make explosives and power homemade rockets.
The European Union is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.
EU spokeswoman Alix deMauny said the bloc distributes its food aid through U.N. agencies, rather than directly, and does not export any sugar to Gaza.
"Based on the information received, it appears that these bags cannot be confused with any kind of EU humanitarian aid," deMauny said. "We would consider it an isolated criminal act and we condemn it."
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