Israel's Marine Special Forces Fight Against Hamas Scuba Divers

Depth bombs were dropped on them.

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel not only on land and in the air - but also in the sea. A host of terrorists attempted to enter Israel by sea. They were divers of Hamas' maritime special unit, Details writes.

A real "silent war" took place in the sea north of the Gaza Strip, in the area of Zikim Beach. YALTAM fighters, a submarine operations unit of the Israeli Navy, were redeployed there. They had to close the "sea loophole" - and they succeeded.

On October 7 and in the following days, Hamas' marine commandos continued their attempts to get into Israel. The Israeli military destroyed them with depth bombs, says Captain Shahar, commander of a sabotage company in YALTAM.

"We went out to sea in military boats and it was only there that we realised the scale of what was happening and our goal - to destroy any diver who would try to enter Israel," he recalls the events of October 7.

"We discovered the terrorists very quickly with the help of Navy intelligence. We dropped depth bombs on them, which destroyed most of the terrorists," Shahar recounts. Hamas' naval commandos were killed by the explosions themselves as well as by the hydraulic shock, he says. Those who survived were finished off by heavy fire on the beach while they were trying to get out of the water.

Attempts were repeated, and eventually the Israeli military also had to collect the saboteurs' equipment on the seabed. "Defeating the terrorists resulted in a large number of their bodies and weapons sinking into the sea," says Shahar.

In poor visibility conditions, IDF divers collected item after item from the bottom: explosives, ammunition pouches, RPGs, suicide waistcoats, weapons and ammunition.

These days, YALTAM fighters are still guarding the maritime border near Gaza - together with the Shayetet 13 Special Forces and other units of the Israeli Navy.

YALTAM responds to every signal of an attempted intrusion. Divers plant explosive devices along routes that Hamas operatives might take in the water. Depth bombs are used against enemy divers.

"Hamas militants are experienced, but the Israeli Navy is much bigger than them. Any terrorist who enters the water will not come out alive," says Captain Shahar.