[1][2] Amphibious warfare ships in preparation for the landing operation at El Arish beach were stationed there.

During the Six Day War and after it, ships from the 914th Torpedo Squadron were attached to floats and received fuel and supplies from the base.

[6] In the early 1980s, Defense Minister Ariel Sharon wanted to bring the Navy closer to Gaza to save sailing time by moving the base to the city of Ashkelon.

[9][10] During the Operation Summer Rains on 26 June, the Israeli Navy imposed a naval closure of the Gaza Strip, to prevent the hostage Gilad Shalit being smuggled out by sea by the Palestinian militants.

The navy increased patrols of naval vessels along the Gaza coastline, and prepared for an attempt to smuggle Shalit out by boat, sending instructions to captains.

[12][13] The navy coordinated with other Israeli forces and used powerful shipboard sensors to acquire and shell targets on land.

[14][15] Records of the attacks published by the navy indicate that for the first time vessels were equipped with Spike ER electro-optically guided anti-armor missiles.

[20] On 29 December, the Free Gaza Movement relief boat Dignity carrying volunteer doctors with 3.5 tons of medical supplies, human rights activists (Among them Caoimhe Butterly and former US Representative Cynthia McKinney), and a CNN reporter was involved in an altercation with Israeli patrol boats.

[22] On 4 January the Israeli Navy extended its blockade of the Gaza Strip to 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi).

[27] On the MV Mavi Marmara, the main ship of the convoy, passengers attacked and managed to capture three soldiers.

All of the ships were seized and towed to Ashdod, while passengers were imprisoned in Israel and then deported to their home countries.

[30][31][32][33][34][35] The MV Rachel Corrie, a seventh ship that had been delayed, set sail from Malta on the same day of the flotilla's interception.

[38] On 16 July, the French yacht Dignite Al Karama was allowed to leave port after informing Greek authorities that its destination was Alexandria, Egypt.

After the boat was warned and refused to turn back, it was surrounded by three Israeli naval vessels and boarded by Shayetet 13 commandos, who took it over.

On 4 November 2011, the Israeli Navy intercepted two vessels heading towards Gaza in a private initiative to break the blockade.

Several minutes later, speedboats carrying commandos from Israel's elite naval unit, Shayetet 13, pulled alongside the ship.

After the contraband was unloaded, Israel announced it would release the Victoria and allowed it to continue its journey to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.