Battle of Zikim
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Situation on 11 October
DateInitial battle: 7 October 2023 (1 day)
Intermittent clashes: 8–24 October 2023 (16 days)
Location
Zikim, Southern District, Israel
Result Israeli victory
Belligerents
Hamas  Israel
Units involved

Al-Qassam Brigades

 Israeli Navy

 Israeli Ground Forces

Bahad 4 instructors and recruits

Armed civilians
Casualties and losses
  • At least 17 killed (IDF claim)
  • 4 boats sunk
  • At least 8 soldiers killed
  • 19 civilians killed

The Battle of Zikim (Hebrew: קרב זיקים; Arabic: 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. The battle also involved the massacre of civilians by Hamas members on Zikim Beach.

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] According to Israeli sources, 19 civilian beachgoers were shot and killed on the beach.[8] A Hamas video shows two militants flying paragliders heading towards Zikim.[6] A breach at the Gaza barrier about 1.5km south of Bahad 4 occurred around the same time that Hamas militants passed through.

Hamas militants 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.[9][10] 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.[11][10] Hamas militants moved towards the kibbutz, but were repulsed by armed civilians, some of whom were off-duty officers.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14][15] 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.[16]

From 10 to 11 October, Hamas claimed that they had sent additional fighters to the Zikim-Ashkelon axis.[15]

On 11 October, the IDF claimed to have killed eight Hamas militants in Zikim.[17]

On 13 October, a suspected security incident forced residents of Zikim inside their homes.[18] Israel National News later reported that a militant had been killed on the beach by the IDF.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "This is How Al-Qassam's Navel Units Stormed Zakim's Fortified Military Base – VIDEO". The Palestine Chronicle. October 9, 2023. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "New footage shows harbor security unit foiling Hamas naval infiltration on October 7". The Times of Israel. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 "טבילת האש הראשונה: נגמ"ש "האיתן" חיסל מחבלים בחוף זיקים" (in Hebrew). Walla! News. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Israeli army tweets video that appears to show soldiers shooting Palestinians who surrendered". The Observers - France 24. 2023-10-13. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  5. 1 2 "What happened in Israel? A breakdown of how Hamas attack unfolded". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 Gianluca Mezzofiore; Paul P. Murphy; Allegra Goodwin (9 October 2023). "Videos show new details on how Hamas launched surprise assault on Israel". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 Bob, Yonah Jeremy (8 November 2023). "Navy ships in the thick of the action off coast of Gaza". jpost.pressreader.com. The Jerusalem Post ePaper. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  8. ↑ קוריאל, אילנה (2023-11-04). "אלינה בילתה עם חבריה, אריה ואלי יצאו לדוג: 19 נרצחו בחוף זיקים במתקפת הפתע". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  9. ↑ David S. Cloud; Anat Peled; Chao Deng; Dov Lieber (8 October 2023). "Israel's First 24 Hours Under Attack: 'We Are Going to Die'". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  10. 1 2 "A Handful of Israeli Officers Saved 90 New Recruits From Hamas Terrorists. They Paid With Their Lives". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  11. ↑ "קומץ מפקדים הצילו בגופם 90 טירונים. סיפורו של הקרב ההירואי בזיקים". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  12. ↑ "Eyewitness account: 'Kobi and the squad saved the kibbutz'". Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel. "Navy says it killed 5 terrorists hiding on Zikim beach". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  14. ↑ @manniefabian (October 10, 2023). "Hof Ashkelon Regional Council says security forces battling Palestinian terrorists near Zikim" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 October 2023 – via Twitter.
  15. 1 2 "Resistance reinforces forces in Israel's southern settlements". The Cradle. Archived from the original on 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  16. ↑ "Al Jazeera English on X". Al Jazeera English. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  17. ↑ @AlArabiya_Brk (11 October 2023). "مراسل العربية: الجيش الإسرائيلي يقول إنه قتل 8 من مسلحي حماس في زيكيم" [Al Arabiya correspondent: The Israeli army says it killed 8 Hamas militants in Zikim]. (tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  18. ↑ "Residents of Zikim near Gaza given 'all clear' after suspected security incident". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  19. ↑ "IDF soldiers eliminated a terrorist on Zikim beach". Israel National News. October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Iran Update, October 17, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. October 17, 2023. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Fresh infiltration alarm sounds in Zikim after sea-borne attack". Times of Israel. 2023-10-24. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
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