6:24 a.m., October 25, 2023
Israel-Hamas War: IDF stops attempted sea attack by Hamas terrorists
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported early Wednesday morning that Hamas terrorists attempted to invade Israel by sea on Tuesday.
“Hamas terrorists who attempted to infiltrate Israeli territory by sea were identified today by naval forces in southern Israel,” the IDF said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The terrorists were thwarted and the tunnel and a weapons depot used by the terrorists in Gaza were destroyed.”
The IDF later updated the post, stating that “Hamas terrorists were caught exiting a tunnel on the Gaza Strip coast and attempting to enter southern Israel by sea.”
Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported from Israel at midday local time on Wednesday that small arms fire occurred overnight near Zikim Beach, which lies between Israel and Gaza, and the Israeli military responded by firing flares.
Two Hamas militants were killed in the infiltration attempt, Yingst reported, adding that the terrorist group has a “frogman unit” made up of trained divers trying to access Israeli territory from the Mediterranean.
“It just gives you a sense of the different ways Hamas tries to target Israel,” Yingst said.
Yingst said Hamas had tried to infiltrate Israel by sea before, and previous videos showed the Israeli navy responding to the attack by firing into the water, killing any militants inside.
“It was absolutely a suicide mission. The Israelis have cordoned off the beach and the sea. They have naval ships off the coast of Gaza and Israel. They have deployed infantry troops in the northern part of the Gaza Strip,” Yingst explained. He added that the attempt “made no sense.”
Fox News Digital’s Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.