JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israeli authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle hundreds of kilograms of tobacco into the Gaza Strip, hidden inside cans of vine leaves, the Defense Ministry announced.

The contraband was discovered during a routine inspection at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, according to the ministry’s Crossing Points Authority and the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza.

The shipment was part of an approved private-sector aid delivery of food items purchased by an Israeli company. Officials said the tobacco was concealed within the canned vine leaves.

Following the discovery, the truck and its entire contents were confiscated and handed over to customs and other authorities for further action.

Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy, head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), ordered the immediate suspension of the company’s approval to import aid into Gaza until further notice.

“The decision was made in light of the severity of the case and in order to preserve the integrity of the aid entry mechanism, while preventing its exploitation for prohibited purposes,” COGAT said in a statement.

Israel has prohibited the entry of cigarettes and other tobacco products into Gaza since the start of the war, with officials stating that smuggled tobacco fetches high prices on the black market and is subject to heavy taxation by Hamas, generating revenue for the militant group.