Zikim attack
| Battle of Zikim | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of 2023 Israel–Hamas war | |||||||
 Situation on 11 October | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Hamas |
 Israel | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Al-Qassam Brigades |
Bahad 4 recruits & instructors  17th Battalion (October 10th-) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 13 killed (IDF claim) | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Zikim (Hebrew: קרב זיקים, Arabic: معركة زيكيم) started on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack against Southern Israel. The battle was fought over the Israeli area of Zikim, which includes a kibbutz and the Bahad 4 military base.
Initial assault
On the morning of 7 October at 04:40 GMT,[2] Hamas sent multiple boats from Gaza to get to the beaches of Zikim. Two rubber boats and two other boats were destroyed by the 916th Patrol Squadron from Ashdod naval base on their way there,[3] but the rest landed on Zikim beach. There had also been a breach at the Gaza barrier about 1.5km south of Bahad 4 around the same time that Hamas soldiers passed through.
Hamas soldiers stormed Bahad 4, a training base for IDF basic military recruits. The majority of the soldiers at the training base had only been in the IDF for 4 weeks. Veteran soldiers at the base had battled the militants while less experienced recruits took cover as immense fighting went on for hours.[4] At 07:00 the IDF had posted a statement that Bahad 4 had been penetrated and lost.[2] Hamas militants moved towards the kibbutz but were defeated by armed civilians, some being off-duty officers.[5] Clashes inside the kibbutz continued past 7 October.
After 7 October
On the morning of 8 October, the 916th patrol squadron killed five Hamas militants on the Zikim beach.[6]
On 10 October, the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council said that Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants near the Trans-Israel pipeline junction.[7]
On 11 October, the IDF claimed to have killed eight Hamas militants in Zikim.[8][9]
See also
References
- ^ Palestine Chronicle Staff (9 October 2023). "This is How Al-Qassam's Navel Units Stormed Zakim's Fortified Military Base – VIDEO". The Palestine Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
The video also showed Qassam fighters touring the base, as well as pictures of the elimination of a number of Israeli soldiers.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Eyewitness account: 'Kobi and the squad saved the kibbutz'". Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ @manniefabian (October 10, 2023). "Hof Ashkelon Regional Council says security forces battling Palestinian terrorists near Zikim" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 October 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @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). Retrieved 2023-10-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Israeli army says it killed 8 Hamas militants in Zikim Gaza". Palestine and Israel news today on map - Jerusalem today - Israel News today - Palestine News today - israelpalestine.liveuamap.com. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
