The barrels containing explosives that were discovered near the beaches of Ashkelon and Ashdod Monday contained 15 to 25 kilograms of explosives each, military sources said. The sources noted that such large amounts of explosives could have caused numerous casualties if they had exploded in a crowded place.
However, they noted, the number of bathers on the beaches is small in winter days, and it is unlikely that many people would have been hurt if the barrels had exploded among bathers. If, on the other hand, they had targeted a ship, such as the Israel Navy light reconnaissance craft, the Daboor, they could have caused great damage and possibly sunk the ship.
A senior member in one of the Palestinian Authority terror groups said that the barrels had each contained 80 kg of explosives and were intended to blow up strategic targets, like an oil rig that is located in the area. IDF sources said that the information about the amount of explosives as well as the intended targets was false.
Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz said Tuesday that “we know that the terror organizations are behind the incidents. This points on the one hand to their determination to carry out terror attacks against us, and on the other hand, the difficulty that they encounter in executing such attacks from Gaza. On the one hand, this can be seen as a sign of our success, but on the other hand it points to the challenges facing us. We will continue to comb the sea as needed, until further notice.”