The Battle of Zikim (Hebrew: קרב זיקים; Arabic language: معركة زيكيم) was a military engagement between Hamas militants and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) forces which started on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack against Southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. Fighting took place in and around the Israeli settlement of Zikim, which includes a kibbutz and the Bahad 4 military post, a training base for IDF recruits.
Initial assault[]
On the morning of 7 October at 04:40 GMT,[5] Hamas sent a small fleet of boats from Gaza to launch an amphibious attack on Zikim Beach. Four of the boats, including two rubber boats, were destroyed by the 916th Patrol Squadron from Ashdod naval base before they reached the shore,[6] but the remaining four soon made it to Zikim Beach.[7] A breach at the Gaza barrier about 1.5km south of Bahad 4 occurred around the same time that Hamas soldiers passed through.
Hamas soldiers stormed Bahad 4 soon after they were ashore. The majority of the Israeli soldiers at the training base had only been in the IDF for four weeks. Veteran soldiers at the base battled the militants while less experienced recruits took cover as intense fighting went on for hours.[8][9] At 07:00, the IDF had posted a statement that Bahad 4 had been penetrated.[5] Six officers and one recruit were killed before the militants withdrew.[10][9] Hamas militants moved towards the kibbutz, but were repulsed by armed civilians, some of whom were off-duty officers.[11] Clashes near the kibbutz continued after 7 October.
Fighting at Zikim Beach on 7 October is notable for involving the first-ever use of the Israeli Eitan AFV in combat, which was originally scheduled to have been put into operation in 2024. The Nahal Brigade team operating the Eitan reached speeds of 120 km/h on Highway 6, which allowed it to be the first Israeli unit to arrive at the scene of the battle, killing several militants on the beach before moving forward to support other units. The successful use of the vehicle at Zikim Beach prompted Tamir Yada'i, head of IDF Ground Forces Command, to integrate the Eitan into plans for the invasion of the Gaza Strip.[3]
Subsequent engagements[]
On the morning of 8 October, the 916th Patrol Squadron killed five Hamas militants on the Zikim Beach.[12] IDF troops lost one man killed and two other wounded during the search of Hamas naval commandos.[7] On 10 October, Hamas launched a rocket attack on the city of Ashkelon after giving civilians a 90 minute warning and clashed with Israeli forces in the Ashkelon Industrial Park/Trans-Israel pipeline junction.[13][14] The same day the IDF's official Hebrew-language Twitter account claimed that troops from the 17th Battalion had clashed with Hamas militants in the Zikim Beach area, killing four. According to an investigation by France 24, the video appeared to show Israeli soldiers killing four Palestinian men who were attempting to surrender, a war crime under international law. France 24 also states that there were no clearly visible weapons in the drone shot of the initial encounter, "though the images are blurry and it is impossible to see whether weapons were on the scene."[4] The incident was geolocated by Al Jazeera English to an area about a kilometer southwest of Bahad 4.[15]
From 10 to 11 October, Hamas claimed that they had sent additional fighters to the Zikim-Ashkelon axis.[14]
On 11 October, the IDF claimed to have killed eight Hamas militants in Zikim.[16]
On 13 October, a suspected security incident forced residents of Zikim inside their homes.[17] Israel National News later reported that a militant had been killed on the beach by the IDF.[18]
On 16 October, reports cited by the Institute for the Study of War suggested that two militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated the coastline west of Zikim, and were subsequently killed by an IDF helicopter.[19]
Israeli authorities issued an infiltration warning for Zikim on 24 October after the IDF engaged another group of Hamas militants attempting to enter Israel via sea. The Israeli military noted that it was still monitoring the area for militants who may have escaped initial engagements.[20]
See also[]
- Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- Palestinian political violence
- Moshe Dayan's eulogy for Ro'i Rothberg
References[]
- ↑ "This is How Al-Qassam's Navel Units Stormed Zakim's Fortified Military Base – VIDEO". October 9, 2023. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/this-is-how-al-qassams-navel-units-stormed-zakims-fortified-military-base-video/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "New footage shows harbor security unit foiling Hamas naval infiltration on October 7". The Times of Israel. 14 October 2023. https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-footage-shows-harbor-security-unit-foiling-hamas-naval-infiltration-on-october-7/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "טבילת האש הראשונה: נגמ"ש "האיתן" חיסל מחבלים בחוף זיקים" (in he). Walla! News. October 18, 2023. https://news.walla.co.il/item/3617021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Israeli army tweets video that appears to show soldiers shooting Palestinians who surrendered" (in en). 2023-10-13. https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231013-israeli-army-tweets-video-that-appears-to-show-soldiers-shooting-palestinians-who-surrendered.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "What happened in Israel? A breakdown of how Hamas attack unfolded" (in en). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/what-happened-in-israel-a-breakdown-of-how-the-hamas-attack-unfolded.
- ↑ "Videos show new details on how Hamas launched surprise assault on Israel" (in en). 9 October 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/08/middleeast/hamas-videos-visual-timeline/index.html.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bob, Yonah Jeremy (8 November 2023). "Navy ships in the thick of the action off coast of Gaza". The Jerusalem Post ePaper. https://jpost.pressreader.com/jerusalem-post/20231108/page/1.
- ↑ "Israel's First 24 Hours Under Attack: 'We Are Going to Die'" (in en-US). 8 October 2023. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-war-hamas-attack-ade2a861.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "A Handful of Israeli Officers Saved 90 New Recruits From Hamas Terrorists. They Paid With Their Lives" (in en). Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/a-few-idf-officers-saved-90-trainees-from-hamas-terrorists-they-paid-with-their-lives/0000018b-4da2-dc3c-a5df-ddaadf370000.
- ↑ "קומץ מפקדים הצילו בגופם 90 טירונים. סיפורו של הקרב ההירואי בזיקים" (in he). הארץ. https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2023-10-19/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/0000018b-4555-d614-abcf-ed7772420000.
- ↑ "Eyewitness account: 'Kobi and the squad saved the kibbutz'". https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/378083.
- ↑ Fabian, Emanuel. "Navy says it killed 5 terrorists hiding on Zikim beach" (in en-US). https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/navy-says-it-killed-5-terrorists-hiding-on-zikim-beach/.
- ↑ manniefabian. "Hof Ashkelon Regional Council says security forces battling Palestinian terrorists near Zikim." (in en). https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1711808395567669424. Missing or empty |date= (help)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Resistance reinforces forces in Israel's southern settlements" (in en). https://new.thecradle.co/articles/resistance-reinforces-forces-in-israels-southern-settlements.
- ↑ "Al Jazeera English on X". Al Jazeera English. 13 October 2023. https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1712907775301365989.
- ↑ @AlArabiya_Brk (11 October 2023). "مراسل العربية: الجيش الإسرائيلي يقول إنه قتل 8 من مسلحي حماس في زيكيم" (in ar). https://twitter.com/alarabiya_brk/status/1712108478968352911.
- ↑ "Residents of Zikim near Gaza given 'all clear' after suspected security incident" (in en-US). https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/residents-of-zikim-near-gaza-given-all-clear-after-suspected-security-incident/.
- ↑ "IDF soldiers eliminated a terrorist on Zikim beach". Israel National News. October 13, 2023. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/616739.
- ↑ "Iran Update, October 17, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. October 17, 2023. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-october-17-2023.
- ↑ "Fresh infiltration alarm sounds in Zikim after sea-borne attack". Times of Israel. 2023-10-24. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/fresh-infiltration-alarm-sounds-in-zikim-after-sea-borne-attack/.
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The original article can be found at Battle of Zikim and the edit history here.