Sunset over the Gaza coastline. Photo: Manar al Zraiy via Wikicommons

Israel has commenced building what it described as a “sea barrier” on the coast of southern Israel to prevent infiltration from the Gaza Strip.

During Operation Cast Lead in 2014 — Israel’s most recent major conflict with the Hamas terror group, which controls the Strip — there were several attempts by terrorist frogmen to infiltrate Israel from the sea. The attempts were all thwarted and the infiltrators killed. Shortly after the war, Israel began planning the barrier.

Israel’s Channel 2 reported that the barrier will be “a kind of breakwater” that will be built in three layers: one below the water line, then a layer of “armored” stone,” and finally a fence.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, “We are talking about a barrier that is the only one of its kind in the world that will in fact block the possibility of infiltration from Gaza to Israel by way of the sea. This is another preventative measure against Hamas that will cause it to lose another strategic capability.”

“We will continue to defend Israeli citizens with power and intelligence,” he added.

Channel 2 said that Hamas is believed to have spent considerable effort developing amphibious infiltration capabilities, mostly using scuba divers. In the most serious 2014 attempt at infiltration, the divers’ bodies were found to be armed with substantial firepower, including rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition, and hand grenades.