As part of the routine activities of inspectors from the Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Central Inspection and Investigation Unit (PIACHO), inspectors found pallets of 1,750 kg of sweet potatoes at a wholesale market in Givat Shaul in Jerusalem. When inspectors tried to find out who the goods belonged to, workers at the site rejected it and a close inspection revealed that the source of the goods was in Gaza. The estimate that emerges is that the merchandise arrived through one of the borders to Jerusalem, although it is not clear which one. The sweet potatoes were transferred for destruction. As stated, the identity of the smuggler is currently unknown and therefore the incident is still under investigation to locate him.

"By law, the commercialization of agricultural products has a series of threshold conditions for the entry of agricultural products to the country, which include: the obligation to move merchandise in places regulated by law, to sample the product in search of microbiological residues and residues. of pesticides to ensure that the product was irrigated with adequate water and treated with authorized materials, etc. Agricultural products that have not been subjected to these processes represent a significant danger to public health and can lead to the entry of pests and injuries that can destroy many branches of Israeli agriculture", Israeli authorities explain.