It has been cleared for publication that the Israeli Navy had intercepted two Palestinian vessels that deviated from the designated fishing zone off the southern Mediterranean coast of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
According to Israel’s Shin Bet Security Agency, “the vessels were on their way from the Palestinian enclave towards Egypt’s Sinai coast, as part of an attempt to smuggle prohibited means into the Gaza Strip” – “including materials used by the Hamas terror organization to manufacture missiles.”
In response, the Israeli Navy’s 916th fleet launched an operation against the Palestinian boats, which were captured shortly thereafter. It is important to note that while the incident occurred on May 11, a gag-order had been placed on the incident until this past weekend due to security considerations. The four Palestinians who operated the vessels have been indicted on charges of active membership in a terror organization, conspiring to commit murder, training and guiding for terror purposes and attempting to provide services to a terror organization, in addition to other charges.