Palestinian hurt while smuggling weapons

The two Palestinians were spotted in an area where swimming is prohibited in the southern Gaza Strip. 

Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported that one of the two Palestinians shot while trying to smuggle weapons from Egypt to the Strip arrived at the hospital in Rafah in good condition. There were no reports about the other Palestinian.

Navy forces operating in the area spotted two people swimming from Egypt toward the Gaza Strip's Rafah beach. Their behavior raised suspicions, as swimmers do not usually cross the border between Egypt and Rafah. The soldiers called on the swimmers to stop after noticing that they were moving sluggishly, apparently due to carrying sacks containing weapons.

Egyptian forces, who were notified about the incident, called on the swimmers to stop. One of them, who apparently abandoned the sacks he was carrying, quickly swam toward the beach, while the other one continued to swim. The forces fired warning shots, and when the Palestinian failed to respond, they shot at his body and hit him. He then threw the sacks and arrived at the beach, where he was met by rescue services.

Smuggling attempts increasing since pullout

Navy officials said that another attempt to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip was thus thwarted, and the Navy base in Ashdod launched an inquiry into the incident.

In the past few months, since the Israel Defense Forces pulled out from the Gaza Strip, the sea has become a "hot arena" through which terror organizations attempt to smuggle arms.

Last month, sailors thwarted a smuggling following a concrete warning received from the Shin Bet. The boat was captured with sacks containing explosives and parts of mines. It was drawn to a navy base in Ashdod and two of its crewmen were taken into interrogation by the Shin Bet.

Two weeks earlier, the Navy foiled an Independence Day attempt to smuggle a few hundred kilograms of standard explosive materials from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

A special Navy underwater unit brought 13 sacks up from the depth of the sea, containing the explosives.

In December 2005, a similar incident was thwarted after Navy forces spotted two swimmers wearing diving suits and carrying sacks containing weapons. The two were shot, one of them killed and the other declared missing.