The campaign at sea: From Hamas to the Houthis, how the terrorist organization is trying to rebuild its strength
Israel is preparing for emergency scenarios in the Gulf of Eilat in light of Hamas's attempts to rebuild its naval force in Gaza and the strengthening of the Houthis in Yemen. Hamas is trying to rebuild the naval invasion unit it used in the October 7 attack, while attempting to smuggle weapons by sea, contrary to declarations of accepting the Trump plan. Meanwhile, Iran is increasing weapons smuggling to the Houthis and Hezbollah via maritime routes, and the Houthis are reorganizing their naval command with the help of the Revolutionary Guards.
Israel is preparing for emergency scenarios in the Gulf of Eilat, in light of Hamas's attempts to rebuild its naval force in Gaza and the strengthening of the Houthis in Yemen. According to a report by Shahar Kleiman in "Hayom", Hamas is trying to rebuild the naval invasion unit it used in the October 7, 2023 attack. In the past three years, many terrorists and senior officials in the naval force have been eliminated, but after the IDF expanded its control in the Strip, the organization turned to attempts to smuggle weapons by sea. The Navy maintains a full naval blockade and round-the-clock patrols, so there is considerable doubt about the success of these attempts. The rebuilding and smuggling efforts come contrary to declarations by senior Hamas officials about willingness to accept the Trump plan. Outside the Palestinian arena, Israel is concerned about continued Iranian weapons smuggling to the Houthis in Yemen and to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in 2024, the Revolutionary Guards have increasingly shifted to using maritime routes. The Houthis are working to reorganize their naval command structure under Iranian supervision, incorporating additional branches such as the military intelligence apparatus. Israel is preparing for extreme scenarios in the Gulf of Eilat, although there is no certainty about the Houthis' ability to complete the journey from Yemen. In the Persian Gulf, the American effort has reduced Iran's ability to block the Strait of Hormuz, although the Iranians still manage to strike commercial ships.