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FDD:

Israeli customs authorities revealed on September 14 [2023] that their agents intercepted 16 tons of explosive material on its way from Turkey to the Gaza Strip in July. [...]

According to the Israeli Tax Authority spokesperson, the customs agents in Ashdod inspected two containers that were supposed to contain 54 tons of gypsum — the key ingredient in plaster. After testing the material in a lab, authorities concluded that some of the bags contained ammonium chloride — a dual-use chemical used in making rockets.

“The origin of this shipment cannot be ignored. Turkey has become a major sponsor of Hamas in recent years and a major hub of Hamas operations. Did the government in Ankara know about this effort to arm the terrorist group with 16 tons of explosive material? This is a crucial question to answer for Israel but also for the United States and many of Turkey’s other NATO allies.” — Jonathan Schanzer, FDD Senior Vice President for Research

Were 16 tons of "explosive material" sent from Turkey to Hamas, in that one shipment?

FWTW, Hamas has denied the claim, calling it "fabrication".

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  • @Oddthinking: Israel indeed regards AC "as a dual use substance and its passage into the Gaza Strip requires a permit since it is liable to be used by Gaza-based terrorist organizations – such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad – in the production of long-range rockets." So that probably needs a bit of explaining. Whether Turkey just doesn't care about or disagrees with Israel's characterization would also be interesting. Or whether they just don't check if the exporter has import permits.
    – got trolled too much this week
    Commented Nov 9, 2023 at 6:49
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    This story would make more sense if it was ammonium chlorate instead of chloride.
    – DavePhD
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 1:49
  • 1
    @DavePhD: or perchlorate.
    – got trolled too much this week
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 1:52
  • right, that would be good propellant. But ammonium chloride just isn’t explosive.
    – DavePhD
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 1:54
  • @DavePhD: perhaps Israel thinks/fears the chloride can used as a precursor, but I've not been able to dig up any details as to how feasible that might be [in Gaza].
    – got trolled too much this week
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 1:56

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