The Israeli Navy is nearing 1,000 consecutive days of operations off the Gaza coast, with forces focused on thwarting infiltration attempts by sea and preventing smuggling operations from Sinai. At the same time, Navy officials have identified efforts by Hamas to restore its naval infrastructure, including the deployment of observation positions designed to monitor Israeli naval activity, Walla reported.

The Navy is closely tracking Hamas’s efforts to reestablish itself along Gaza’s coastline and preparing for the possibility that the terror group could attempt stealth infiltrations into Israel via the sea.

“Our working assumption is that Hamas will try to rebuild its maritime capabilities,” a senior officer at the Ashdod naval base told Walla. “We’re preparing for the possibility that even if they can’t operate motorboats, they may attempt to infiltrate using small boats and paddles.”

The officer added that the operational approach at the Ashdod naval base has been fundamentally reshaped since the October 7 massacre, placing greater emphasis on preventing terrorist landings from the sea before they can materialize.

He described the concept as “proactive offensive defense.”

As part of this shift, naval forces work closely with operational units to target anti-tank squads and other threats that could endanger Israeli vessels.

“Hamas no longer has the advanced production capabilities it once had,” the officer said. “But we must assume it will try to develop capabilities both above and below the water and act to prevent every such effort.”

He added that one of the key lessons learned from October 7 was the need for closer coordination between the Navy and Southern Command to ensure a rapid response to maritime infiltration scenarios.

“We train for these situations every day,” he said. “There isn’t a single naval commander at sea who isn’t in constant contact with parallel ground forces in the Gaza Division.”

According to the officer, much of the operational load now falls on Squadron 916, with reservists being called up for specific missions when needed.

“From our perspective, we are approaching 1,000 days of continuous combat,” he said. “Unlike ground forces, no one replaces us. We are operating under a heavy workload. There is not a single day without friction at sea off the coast of Gaza.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)