The Israel Defense Forces have identified 170 drone-based smuggling attempts from Israel into Gaza between December 2024 and April 2024, according to a report aired Saturday night. That works out to roughly 10 smuggling incidents a month. The figures surfaced in the case file against two smugglers arrested last month.
The suspects, two residents of the Bedouin diaspora, were detained after a police pursuit by the Southern District investigation unit. According to the report, they set up near Kibbutz Re'im and flew two drones loaded with goods into Gaza before being arrested. Some of the shipments involved prohibited goods or drugs, and investigators believe weapons may also be moving through the same network.
The smuggling routes go into areas controlled by Hamas beyond the so-called yellow line. The military says that in about half of the incidents the drones are intercepted, shot down, or destroyed on the Gazan side, but a significant number still get through. These figures refer only to smuggling carried out by Israelis from inside Israel, while a separate and active route operates the same way from Egypt.
In another financial investigation by Lahav 433, more than 300 cargo drones, some very large, were reportedly bought through shell companies linked to the Bedouin diaspora. That probe uncovered the financial structure and invoices, but most of the drones themselves were not located. A criminal indictment in the current case was filed last week by the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office, and the report says arrests and seizures have not yet dismantled the wider network.
