Israeli internal security service Shin Bet said on Tuesday that the amount of weapons and explosives smuggled into the Gaza Strip since Israel's pullout from the region was bigger than the total amount smuggled into the strip since the 1967 Middle East war.

According to local newspaper the Jerusalem Post, Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin made the remarks in a meeting of the Knesset ( parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Diskin was quoted as elaborating at the meeting that since the Israeli army left Gaza in September 2005, there were 11 tons of TNT, three million bullets, 19,600 rifles, 1,600 pistols, 65 RPG launchers, 430 RPGs and some 10 shoulder rocket launchers smuggled into Israel.

Diskin believed that Qassam rockets fired against Israel from the Gaza Strip would continue, according to the report.

Last September, Israel withdrew from 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the West Bank under the leadership of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Source: Xinhua