‘Iron Wall’ at Sea: Sailing off Gaza with the Unit Preventing the Next Infiltration

A Navy magazine reporter accompanies the ‘Knights of the Gulf’ flotilla on a voyage off Gaza, describing the new ‘Iron Wall’ system designed to prevent maritime infiltration. The article reviews the lessons of October 7, the structural changes in the Navy, and the unusual incident at Kibbutz Zikim, which was investigated as a possible infiltration but turned out to be an attempted copper theft.

A Navy magazine reporter accompanies the ‘Knights of the Gulf’ flotilla on a voyage off the Gaza coast, describing the new defense system dubbed ‘Iron Wall’. The system relies on advanced technology and large forces in a monitored border area. The article recalls the events of October 7, when Nukhba fighters infiltrated by sea, and the lessons learned: inter-branch cooperation between the Navy, Shin Bet, and Aman, and structural changes led by the Navy commander, Major General Eli Harel. During the voyage, troops fired at a suspicious object in the sea to rule out the possibility of an explosive device. Later, an indication of a possible infiltration at Kibbutz Zikim was described, which turned out to be an attempted theft of a copper coil. Within 40 minutes, 140 troops arrived at the kibbutz, and after 28 minutes the incident was assessed as criminal. The article quotes officers emphasizing high readiness and zero tolerance for anomalies.