Navy braces for Gaza maritime infiltration as combat at sea nears 1,000 days

Israeli Navy officers and sailors are nearing nearly 1,000 continuous days of combat off the coast of the Gaza Strip, in a quiet campaign aimed at stopping smuggling from Sinai and blocking infiltration into Israel. At the same time, security officials say Hamas is trying to rebuild its naval arm and has set up observation systems to monitor Israeli Navy vessels at sea.

The Navy is closely tracking Hamas efforts to reestablish itself along Gaza’s coastline, and Israeli commanders say they are preparing for low-profile infiltration attempts despite the group’s severe losses. A senior officer at the Ashdod naval base said, “Our working assumption is that Hamas will try to rebuild in the maritime arena, and we take into account that although it cannot operate a motorboat, it may try to infiltrate with a small raft and paddles.”

Since the October 7 attack, the Ashdod base has changed its operating concept. Its immediate mission is to prevent terrorists from landing on the shore until they are neutralized, in what the officer called “proactive offensive defense.” The base now works with the operations branch’s dominance unit to strike anti-tank teams that could fire from the Strip at naval vessels. “Hamas does not have the advanced production capabilities it had before, but we must assume it will try to build means above and below the water and thwart any intent,” the officer said.

The lessons of the surprise assault also led to tighter coordination between the Southern Command and the Navy so they can respond quickly to a sea-based breach. “We train every day on scenarios like this,” the officer said. “There is no commander at sea who does not speak with parallel ground forces from the northern brigade in the Gaza Division.” The main burden falls on Flotilla 916, made up of regular troops, while reserve crews have been called up selectively since the war began, but the strain continues. “From our perspective we are approaching 1,000 days of fighting. Unlike ground forces, nobody relieves us,” he said, adding, “There is not a day without friction at sea מול the Gaza Strip.”