Israel claims to have bombed Hamas ''divers'' near Gaza tunnel exit

Source: Daily Mail

This is the moment the Israel Defense Forces bombed a team of Hamas divers trying to infiltrate Israel after frogmen entered the sea from a Gaza tunnel.

The IDF said that at least two Hamas terrorists attempted to access Israel via the sea at Zikim - just north of the Gaza Strip - after entering a nearby beach in Gaza via a tunnel.

Footage posted by the Israeli military shows a coupe of naval vessels seeking out the target. Large explosions can then be seen in the water with a small section of the marine craft poking above the water.

The two Hamas fighters were killed in an attack by fighter jets and soldiers from Israel's navy, who also destroyed a weapons storage facility being 'used by the terrorists'. The IDF did not give specific details on how the attempted sea infiltration took place.

Shortly after the IDF issued an update, Hamas's military wing posted a photograph on Telegram of two men in specialist scuba diving gear armed with assault rifles.

During the incident, an alarm used to alert to a suspected infiltration could be heard in the border communities of Zikim and Karmia, which have largely been evacuated since the October 7 assault, The Times of Israel reports.

Later, IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Navy forces were carrying out a search for any other potential terrorists in the area.

Hagari said Navy forces, including naval commandos, working across from the coast of Gaza City saw the Hamas cell entering the ocean from a tunnel.

He said navy forces fired at the divers, killing them, 'and are currently in the process of making sure that there aren't any more members of the cell in the sea'.

In a statement, Hamas claimed responsibility for the attempted attack and said its members had come up against Israeli forces after ostensibly managing to access Israel.

Later in the evening, an infiltration warning was repeated in Zikim, Karmia and Netiv Ha’asara, although shortly afterwards the IDF Home Front Command said that the incident had finished and an all-clear was given, The Times of Israel reports.