Ashdod base commander Col. Eitan Paz recounts the moments of the Hamas terrorist infiltration through the sea and the battles fought against them.
"06:30 Saturday morning, during the Simchat Torah holiday, our forces noticed the departure of four fast vessels, among them: three rubber boats and another fast fishing boat. There are many of them on the shores of Gaza - this was part of their deception process. Navy fighters carried out an interception. Two vessels were intercepted and destroyed further north, and two southern vessels managed to reach the shore. There were a total of 30 terrorists on board the vessels. We fired on them. A number of terrorists reached the shore," says the officer.
"The forces were under massive fire from rockets, mortars, and attacking drones. We immediately went into emergency mode and arranged the defense in the area. The fence on the border was breached. Forces from the sea intercepted bulldozers' attempts to hit the fence twice. We eliminated another 30 terrorists between the Europe Asia Pipeline (EAPC) and the Israel - Gaza border, partially with the help of remotely piloted Air Force aircraft," said the officer. "We are succeeding in the defense effort. There are operational successes and there’s something to learn from them."
"We attacked dozens of targets on the coast - Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) vessels and targets associated with the military arm, the enemy's rocket launchers and means of warfare, enemy vessels in the Gaza anchorage, as well as observation posts of the Hamas naval force," he noted.