BICOM

An Israeli navy vessel fired overnight on two boats which they suspect were smuggling from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into the Gaza Strip.

According to an IDF spokesman, the two small vessels were noticed deviating into restricted waters towards Egypt and on their return towards Gaza, they were asked to stop. When they failed to do so and ignored warnings, the Israeli navy opened fire. The IDF says that the targets were hit and that secondary explosions were heard on the vessels, indicating that there may have been weapons aboard. Gunmen from the Gaza shore then opened fire on the Israeli vessel. No Israeli casualties were reported, but the Palestinian Ma’an news agency says that four Palestinian fishermen were moderately wounded in the exchange and were taken to hospital in Rafah.

Haaretz says a similar incident occurred two weeks ago in which Gazans shot at Israeli ships, eliciting a return of fire. Earlier this month, Israeli forces seized an apparent Iranian arms shipment destined for Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip off the coast of Sudan. It was found to contain 40 Syrian-made long range M-302 rockets, 180 mortar shells and 400,000 bullets, underlining the threat posed to Israel by Gaza arms smuggling.

Meanwhile, last week the IDF uncovered a tunnel which traversed beneath the Gaza border, extending 700 metres into Israel. According to an Israeli army assessment, the tunnel had not yet been used, but was primed for future terror activities. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade admitted that it had constructed the tunnel. Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since violently overthrowing the Fatah faction in 2007, has admitted responsibility during the last year for constructing additional tunnels burrowing into Israel with the stated intention of using them to kidnap Israelis.