Knot this time: Israel confiscates Gaza shoes claiming they're for 'terrorist' purposes

The unbranded boots, which Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claimed were "military shoes", were in a shipment of other goods entering the besieged Gaza Strip.

"This week, three pallets containing dozens of pairs of military shoes that were hidden in a shipment of civilian goods, in an attempt to smuggle them into #Gaza for terrorist purposes and in violation of the law, were confiscated at the Kerem Shalom crossing", COGAT said in a widely mocked tweet.

COGAT is a unit under the defence ministry and is responsible for implementing Israeli policy in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip.

COGAT claimed the shoes are a "miserable and failed attempt by terrorist groups in Gaza" - a claim that was quickly dismissed.

Real army boots are made out of heavy, waterproof material and are designed and laced up to support the ankle of the soldier.

"The Israeli military thinks Palestinians having shoes is a security threat....", one Palestinian tweeted.

Israel has a track record of confiscating civilian items.

In 2017, the Israeli military said they had confiscated "military tactical gloves", which they claimed to be smuggled by Hamas.

The claims were quickly rebuked as they too lacked features of authentic military items.

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