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Photos:
Scene. Published by Maan News

Construction of the naval barrier (Photo: Israeli Defense Ministry) Published by Ynet News

Construction of the sea barrier at Zikim beach, May 27, 2018. Credit: Ministry of Defense Spokesperson. Published by Haaretz

Scene. Published by Ynet News


BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- May 28, 2018 3:46 P.M. (Updated: May 28, 2018 3:48 P.M.)

The Israeli government began construction of marine barrier off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, which it says will be used to prevent the movement of the Hamas military wing out of the besieged coastal enclave and into Israeli territory. 

Israeli news website Ynet reported that the naval barrier, which is being headed by the Ministry of Defense, is designed to prevent potential “infiltration of a Hamas terror cell” into Israel from Gaza. The multi-million dollar project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

According to Ynet, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu applauded the barrier as being one-of-a-kind and "an additional setback for Hamas, which has lost another strategic capability that it has invested massive amounts in developing."

Israeli news daily Haaretz reported that the barrier will consist of three layers: an underwater level, topped by a layer of stone and an above-water barbed wire fence. The entire barricade itself will be surrounded by another fortified fence. 

The barrier will reportedly span 37 miles, and is expected to cost approximately 3 billion shekels ($833 million), with each kilometer of the underground part of the barrier costing an estimated 41.5 million shekels ($11.5 million). The costs of constructing the aboveground fence were reported to be at 1.5 million shekels ($416,000) per kilometer.

According to Israeli media, the decision to build the naval barrier was prompted by an incident in the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza, when Hamas fighters managed to enter Israeli territory by sea. 

Since the 2014 war in Gaza, Israel has maintained an underwater sensor system along the maritime border with the northern Gaza Strip, enabling the Israeli forces to spot divers and swimmers in the area. 

Israel has claimed an increased threat of "breaches" from the sea since mounting tensions in Gaza over recent weeks, during which time Israeli forces have killed an estimated 113 Palestinians along the Gaza border during massive demonstrations in protest of Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The more than 2 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have suffered from a 10-year Israeli-imposed land, air, and sea blockade, which has plunged the small territory into poverty and some of the highest unemployment rates in the world. 

The UN has reported that Gaza could be "uninhabitable" by 2020. 
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Naval barrier designed to thwart a potential infiltration of a Hamas terror cell into Israel though the Gaza-Israel maritime border expected to be fully built by the end of 2018; Def. Min. Lieberman: 'This is an additional setback for Hamas, which has lost another strategic capability that it has invested massive amounts in developing.'

by Yoav Zitun for Ynet News | Published: 05.27.18 , 18:36

Construction of a world-first marine barrier on the northern Gaza Strip border commenced Sunday by the Defense Ministry, with dozens of tons of building materal being hauled to Zikim Beach by heavy-duty vehicles.

The barrier will be erected on top of a breakwater constructed between Zikim Beach and Gaza Beach, and is designed to serve as an "impregnable breakwater" that will be built to withstand hostile weather conditions at sea and to serve both beach goers and Israel's defense establishment for years to come.

It is expected to be fully completed by the end of the year.

The obstacle will consist of three components: an underwater level, topped by a layer of stone and a barbed wire fence along the crest. The entire barricade itself will be surrounded by another fortified fence.

The decision to erect the naval barricade was made after a terrorist cell managed to infiltrate into Israel by sea from the strip during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Since the operation, an underwater sensor system has been spread along the maritime border with the northern Gaza Strip, enabling the IDF to spot divers and swimmers in the area. It is tested every few weeks by army exercises and experiments that improve its capabilities.

The threat of breaches from the coastal enclave, which is controlled by the Hamas terror group, has increased recently with mounting tensions between Hamas and Israel over the bloody events on the Gaza border, which saw protesters, many of them Hamas operatives, lose their lives while attempting to breach the border's security fence in protest of Israel's blockade of the strip.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said the barrier would deny Hamas the "strategic capability" of using the sea to infiltrate Israel.

"Today we began setting up a sea barrier, the only one of its kind in the world, which will block the possibility of infiltration from Gaza to Israel via the sea," Liberman said in a statement. "This is an additional setback for Hamas, which has lost another strategic capability that it has invested massive amounts in developing. We will continue to protect the citizens of Israel with might and sophistication."

In recent years, Hamas has invested tens of millions of shekels in its naval force, consisting on hundreds of naval commandos, who train frequently on the beaches of the Gaza Strip and are equipped with advanced diving equipment.

Like Israel's navy, Hamas also drew conclusions from the events of Operation Protective Edge with regard to its commando force and developed a combat doctrine designed to try to circumvent the IDF's underwater detection systems.

Through the maritime border, Hamas can reach the coast of Ashkelon from where it can attack nearby strategic sites, such as the Yam Tethys gas rig and the Rutenberg Power Station, and potentially cripple Israel's infrastructure.

The new naval barrier will in fact continue the 64-kilometer underground barrier along the Gaza Strip border, from the Einav settlement to the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

First published: 05.27.18, 18:36
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Israel Begins Construction of Maritime Barrier at Gaza Border
Defense Ministry announces new barrier, meant to deter Palestinians from infiltrating into Israel, as 'one-of-a-kind'

by Yaniv Kubovich for Ynet News. May 27, 2018 11:26 PM

Israel has begun building an underwater sea barrier to prevent Palestinian infiltrators from entering Israel by sea, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

Building began at the northern Gaza border, on Zikim beach. According to the Defense Ministry, the construction is expected to continue through the end of the year.

The barrier will consist of three layers. The first will be below the water; the second will be made of stone; the third will be made of barbed wire. An additional fence will surround the sea fence. The Defense Ministry described the barrier as "an impenetrable breakwater." It does not prevent Gazans from going out to sea.

"This barrier is one-of-a kind in the world," Defense cheif Avigdor Lieberman said. The barrier "Will effectively block any possibility of entering Israel by sea. This further thwarts Hamas, which is now losing another strategic asset after investing huge sums in its development," he said.

The state decided to erect a sea barrier during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when several Hamas gunmen entered Israel by sea and were killed by the military.

The barrier is being built simultaneously with an inland underground barrier around the Gaza border.

Last year, The Israel Defense Forces announced they would begin construction on a massive barrier meant to stop the underground tunnels that Gaza built into Israel. The project, estimated to cost 3 billion shekels ($833 million), includes a concrete wall fitted with sensors and reaching dozens of meters deep into the ground and standing six meters high from ground level.