At least ten Hamas terrorists were killed in waters off the shore of the southern Gaza border town of Zikim after attempting to infiltrate into Israel, Israeli media reported on Tuesday evening.
The IDF stated on Tuesday night that a Hamas terrorist cell exited a tunnel along the coast of the Gaza Strip and attempted to infiltrate into Israel off the coast of Zikim.
The Navy, together with the Air Force and the northern brigade of the Gaza Division, struck the terrorists and stopped them from arriving at the coast.
The Air Force and Navy also struck the tunnel entrance the terrorists exited from and a weapons storage warehouse they used.
Sirens sounded across the Gaza border towns of Zikim, Nativ Ha'asara, and Karmia and residents were told to shelter as the IDF scanned the area for infiltrating terrorist "frogmen," as Hamas said in a statement. The towns were given the all-clear a little later in the evening.
Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades said its operatives "were able to infiltrate by sea and land" and that a gunfight was ongoing.
The IDF later said that Israeli fighter jets struck the military infrastructure from where the terrorists had infiltrated.
IDF spokesperson: Hamas terrorists used tunnels to the sea
In a Tuesday evening address, Israeli military spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the terrorists used tunnels from the Gaza Strip to open waters in an attempt to infiltrate into Israel through the Mediterranean Sea.
According to reports, the IDF killed a handful of terrorists as they were swimming toward the beach in Zikim, while others were killed in scans of nearby areas which continued late into Monday night.
According to Israeli media, residents of Zikim received a threatening phone call from a Qatari line, warning them of the terrorists' impending arrival to the Gaza border town. Recordings of the conversations were reportedly transferred to Israel Police.
This is a developing story.