An attempt by a group of Hamas terrorists to enter Israel by sea was stopped by Israeli Navy forces on Tuesday night, according to a report from The Israel Times. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not disclose the precise number of Hamas divers involved in the infiltration; however, reports from Hebrew-language media place the figure between five and eight. Alarms were raised by the infiltration attempt in the border communities of Zikim and Karmia, which were mostly evacuated after southern Israel was attacked by Hamas on October 7. The Times of Israel reported that the area has been declared a closed military zone, with the exception of essential personnel and local security teams.
The IDF responded to the situation by deploying a fighter jet, which carried out an airstrike on a compound believed to be the launching point for the terrorists.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that Navy forces, including naval commandos, were actively searching for any additional members of the terrorist cell in the sea. They had identified the Hamas cell entering the sea from a tunnel originating from Gaza City’s coast. Navy forces engaged the divers, resulting in their elimination.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the sea-borne attack attempt and stated that its members had clashed with Israeli forces after allegedly managing to infiltrate into Israel.
