Hamas attempts to rearm

In an exclusive interview  with the Jerusalem Post, Commander. Eli Soholitski of the Israeli  Navy’s Squadron 916 reveals what we've all suspected-  that Hamas has been attempting to rearm itself since the ceasefire with Gaza began.

From the Post

He is about to take command of Squadron 32, a missile-ship formation, that secures the northern naval sector.

“Our vessels are ready to go into offensive missions at any time. There have been more than a few attempts to infiltrate the naval closure. We’ve conducted activity against vessels that violated the closure,” Soholitski said....

“We continue to see attempts to smuggle weapons or material to build them. The sea is a very convenient platform for smuggling.

The terrorists still have one big smuggling tunnel, and it’s called the Mediterranean,” said Soholitski.

Asked if the blockage of smuggling tunnels that linked Sinai to Gaza could lead to an increase in naval-smuggling attempts, Soholitski answered in the affirmative.

“In the end, our area of coverage is very big. This requires us to be professional and ensure that smuggling doesn’t happen. We need to invest in technological resources to achieve this and in people. There are no computers that can do this job without the eyes of a navy controller. Nothing is automatic. People are central to all of this,” he said.

There have been many previous attempts to smuggle weapons by sea to Palestinian terrorists that have been thwarted by Israeli intelligence, including


- May 2001 (Santorini)
- January 2002 (Karine-A)
- November 2009 (Francop)
- March 2011 (Victoria)
- January 2013
- March 2014 (Klos C)