Guard inspects suspicious shipment at border crossing. (Ministry of Defense)

Israel thwarted an attempt to smuggle tons of explosives into Hamas-controlled Gaza, thanks to a new, advanced chemicals lab set up recently at the border.

Israeli security forces caught a huge shipment of explosives-producing materials en route to terror groups in Gaza, the Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday.

A new, advanced chemicals lab at the border discovered the dangerous substance before it could enter the Hamas-controlled Strip.

The Defense Ministry  recently began operating the advanced chemistry lab at the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza with the objective of refining its capability to detect illicit materials on their way to terror groups in Gaza.