After 78 years, the ship known as the Altalena was found intact on the Mediterranean seafloor by divers, 503 meters deep and 20 kilometers off of Israel’s coast, on August 23, 2026. This closes a painful chapter that dates back to the early history of modern Israel. The announcement was made by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu.
The ship arrived just weeks after Israel declared independence, carrying hundreds of immigrants, Irgun fighters and a large shipment of weapons intended for the War of Independence.
About the Altalena
In June 1948, one month after modern Israel was established, the Altalena arrived off the Israeli coast in Netanya, carrying hundreds of immigrants to the new Jewish state, Irgun fighters, and a large shipment of weapons and ammunition intended to be used for fighting in the War of Independence. The Irgun, also known as “Etzel”, was a pre-state Jewish underground organization led by Menachem Begin. Irgun had fought British rule and Arab forces before modern Israel’s establishment. There were two other pre-state underground organizations, the Haganah and Lehi.
Following Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, the country’s separate Jewish armed organizations began to merge and incorporate into what we know today as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On June 1, 1948, an agreement to integrate the Irgun was signed, although Irgun forces remained independent at the time. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion insisted that all weapons brought into the country come under IDF authority, which led to a dispute between the IDF and Irgun. Begin sought to allocate 20% of the arms to Irgun forces in Jerusalem, while the rest be handed over to the IDF.
The Altalena’s arrival came during the first UN-brokered truce of the war of independence, which prohibited the introduction of arms and fighting personnel. The Altalena docked north of Netanya on June 20, 1948. Passengers disembarked and weapons began to be unloaded. The following day, IDF troops from the newly established Alexandroni Brigade surrounded the area and ordered Begin to hand over the weapons. He refused, and fighting broke out between the IDF and Irgun. Six Irgun members and two IDF soldiers were killed in the fighting in Kfar Vaknin. A ceasefire was reached shortly after weapons that had already made it ashore were handed over to the IDF.
The Altalena then set sail south towards Tel Aviv, with Begin on board himself. The conflict continued, and IDF forces eventually opened fire on the Altalena, setting it ablaze and forcing everyone on board to abandon it. Ten more Irgun members and one IDF soldier were killed in the Tel Aviv fighting.
As the conflict continued to escalate, Begin ordered Irgun members not to retaliate against the IDF and warned against allowing the dispute to spiral into a civil war. That decision became one of the key moments in what became known as the Altalena Affair. It also became one of the key moments in Menachem Begin’s political legacy. He would go on to become Israel’s first right wing prime minister in 1977.
The Altalena remained off the coast of Tel Aviv before being shipped and sunk at sea. The Altalena Affair left a deep scar on Israeli politics, and became the key issue between Ben Gurion’s Labor Zionist movement and Begin’s Revisionist camp. It also established the principle that the newly established Jewish state would maintain a single unified national military under government authority.
The location of the Altalena closes a painful chapter 78 years in the making. “Tonight we are closing a historical circle on one of the most painful and formative events in the history of Israeli society,” Ben-Gvir said late on Sunday when the discovery was made.
“The discovery of the Altalena is a defining moment for our national memory,” Heritage Minister Eliyahu stated. “We worked on this operation out of a deep-seated mission to reveal the historical truth and make the story of the ship’s heroes accessible to future generations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would spearhead the mission to raise the Altalena above the sea floor. “Standing here, after we found the Altalena, I pledge one more thing: To raise her from the depths of the sea, so that she will be a tangible symbol for our generation and for generations to come. A tangible symbol of one simple commandment: Civil war – never again!”
The discovery of the Altalena brings renewed attention to an event that deeply divided Israeli politics, but ultimately ushered in one national military under the authority of the elected government.
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