Battle of Zikim

Battle of Zikim
The Battle of Zikim 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, 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, 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, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base for basic training of military recruits. The majority of the 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. At 07:00, the IDF had posted a statement that Bahad 4 had been penetrated and lost. Hamas militants moved towards the kibbutz but were defeated by armed civilians, some being off-duty officers. Clashes inside the kibbutz continued past 7 October.
Fighting at Zikim Beach on 7 October is notable for involving the first-ever use of the Eitan AFV in combat. The vehicle 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 to 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.
Subsequent engagements
On the morning of 8 October, the 916th Patrol Squadron killed five Hamas militants on the Zikim beach.
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. 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). 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." The incident was geolocated by Al Jazeera English to an area about a kilometer southwest of Bahad 4.
From 10 to 11 October, Hamas claimed that they had sent additional fighters to the Zikim-Ashkelon axis.
On 11 October, the IDF claimed to have killed eight Hamas militants in Zikim.
On 13 October, a suspected security incident forced residents of Zikim inside their homes. Israel National News later reported that a militant had been killed on the beach by the IDF.
On October 16, reports cited by the Institute for the Study of War suggested that two militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated the coastline west of Zikim, subsequently being killed by an IDF helicopter.
Israeli authorities issued an infiltration warning for Zikim on 24 October after the IDF engaged a 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.
See also
Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Palestinian terrorism
Death and eulogy of Ro'i Rothberg
References
Zikim
Military operations involving Israel
Naval battles involving Israel
Battles in 2023