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IDF thwarts Palestinian attempt to breach Gaza naval blockade

The Israeli military on Tuesday prevented a Palestinian boat from infiltrating waters prohibited under a naval blockade designed to ensure the Jewish state’s security.

By: World Israel News Staff

On Tuesday, the IDF stopped a Palestinian boat that attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade, which creates a six nautical mile limit off the Gazan coast beyond which Palestinian boats are prohibited from sailing. Tuesday’s attempt marks the second try in the past two months to break the blockade.

The army arrested 8 of the vessel’s 10 passengers, which included individuals involved in the violent Hamas-led riots on the Gaza border organized under the “March of Return” banner.

The boat was purportedly heading for Cyprus, but it lacked necessary equipment to reach the destination, indicating that the mission’s true aim may have been to draw media attention as part of the Palestinians’ propaganda strategy.

“The vessel was seized without incident,” announced the IDF in a subsequent statement.

According to the Israeli military, the naval blockade is “a necessary and legal security measure” to protect its Israeli citizens “in the face of terror and smuggling weapons.”

Egypt also enforces the blockade, which the United Nations and other international bodies have declared is legal.

“This is the second time in two months that the Hamas terror group tried to cause a provocation at sea by taking advantage of injured and handicapped people and by paying residents of Gaza to take part in this kind of activity,” declared the Israeli army.

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The Hamas terror organization has come under fire as of late for diverting massive amounts of humanitarian aid to build terror tunnels and launch rockets at Israeli civilian populations. Weapons smuggling also remains a primary activity of the terror group.