Inspectors from Israel's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Central Investigation and Execution Unit (Pitsuach) discovered 35 cardboard packages containing 300 kg of strawberries originating in Gaza during an initiative at the Givat Shaul wholesale market in Jerusalem. Strawberries from the Gaza Strip were packaged in boxes with fake stickers with the legend "Strawberry Ramat Hasharon" to mislead the public into giving them a false representation of strawberries grown in Israel. Thanks to the vigilance of Israeli Ministry of Agriculture inspectors, the Gaza strawberry marketing experience in Jerusalem was frustrated.

Inspectors noted that at the entrance to the Alfei Menashe settlement in Samaria, a stall was discovered selling strawberries from the Gaza Strip being grown without surveillance. The stickers that appeared on the packaging concealed one indicating that they were originally from Gaza. An inspection by ministry inspectors showed that there was no company named "Ramat Hasharon Strawberry".

With the arrival of the winter season, the strawberry season arrived, in which the demand for the sweet fruit increases during the cold months. Along with the lawsuit, there are also attempts to smuggle them out of Gaza and trade them within the territories of the State of Israel illegally.

The Ministry of Agriculture reiterates: The consumption of fruits and vegetables grown without any supervision can represent a significant danger to public health and warns that "Strawberry Ramat Hasharon" originates from Gaza and should not be consumed.

Nahum Itzkovich, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasizes: "Our job is to protect public health, therefore it is not allowed to import and commercialize fruits and vegetables grown in Gaza, as they were grown without the supervision of the Ministry. We recommend that the public buy strawberries that are sold in organized outlets that make sure they buy strawberries grown in Israel, and preferably strawberries in sealed packages, which have been treated with biological pesticides. "

According to the Agricultural Products Marketing Law, there are several threshold conditions for the entry of agricultural products into the country, among them: the obligation to move the goods in places regulated by law, sample the product in search of microbiological residues and pesticide residues to ensure that the product was irrigated with adequate water and treated with authorized substances.

Agricultural products that have not been subjected to these processes represent a significant danger to public health and can also lead to the entry of pests and injuries, which can destroy many branches of agriculture. The vegetables from Gaza that can be marketed in Israel are just tomatoes and aubergines.