2023 Israel-Hamas War

Small Assault Boat in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War

Hamas naval commandos used small motorized boats for the October 7, 2023 sea infiltration around Zikim Beach, with later IDF reporting of additional vessels attempting to enter Israeli waters.

Weapon profileSmall assault boat
SideHamas and Gaza-based armed groupsRoleFrontline AssaultMobility & LogisticsInsurgent / Guerrilla Use
Small assault boat, Small motorized assault boat, Naval Systems - 2023 Israel-Hamas War
Image source: US Navy RHIB SWCC.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Hamas used seven speedboats in the October 7, 2023 sea assault from Gaza toward the Zikim area.

Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, Times of Israel Gaza Division Probe

An elite Hamas unit used boats to reach the beach near Kibbutz Zikim, with some craft intercepted and others reaching shore.

Sources: IDF October 7 Massacre Explained

The IDF reported five Hamas vessels attempting to infiltrate Israeli waters overnight after the initial invasion.

Sources: IDF Real-Time Updates

The craft are publicly described by broad terms such as speedboat, boat, motorboat, and vessel, not by an identified model.

Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, IDF October 7 Massacre Explained, Ynet Navy Probe

Timeline

Small assault boat In 2023 Israel-Hamas War

  1. Hamas boat force sets out from Gaza

    IDF-probe coverage reported that 38 Hamas attackers in seven speedboats departed the Gaza Strip during the opening assault, with boats intercepted at sea and others reaching the Zikim area.

    Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, Times of Israel Gaza Division Probe

  2. Boats reach Zikim Beach and nearby positions

    Probe reporting described several speedboats reaching or partially reaching the coast, where attackers landed at Zikim Beach and near nearby IDF facilities.

    Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe

  3. Additional vessels reported near Zikim

    The IDF reported that five Hamas vessels attempted to infiltrate Israeli waters overnight and that Israeli forces continued engaging armed fighters around Zikim Beach.

    Sources: IDF Real-Time Updates

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Small assault boats were documented in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack from Gaza into southern Israel. IDF probe coverage reported that 38 Hamas attackers set out from the Gaza Strip in seven speedboats and that some boats were destroyed at sea while others reached the coast near Zikim Beach and nearby military positions.

The IDF's October 7 explainer separately described an elite Hamas unit leaving a Gaza port by boat for the beach near Kibbutz Zikim, with some boats intercepted by the Israeli Navy and others reaching shore. The publicly available sources identify the craft as boats, speedboats, motorboats, or vessels rather than a named manufacturer or model.

Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, Times of Israel Gaza Division Probe, IDF October 7 Massacre Explained

Timeline

At the start of the October 7 attack, the boat-borne force moved along the coast under the cover of the opening rocket barrage. Probe reporting describes the first speedboat crossing Israel's maritime border with Gaza at 6:36 a.m., with subsequent boats either intercepted at sea, hit as they approached land, or reaching Zikim Beach and nearby IDF positions.

IDF real-time updates on October 8 reported continued maritime activity around Zikim, including five Hamas vessels that attempted to infiltrate Israeli waters overnight and were thwarted by an IDF missile boat. The same update page reported additional armed fighters located around Zikim Beach after the initial attack.

Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, IDF Real-Time Updates

Operational role

The documented role of the boats was short-range maritime insertion from Gaza toward southern Israel. Times of Israel reporting on IDF investigations said the boats were directed toward IDF bases near the border, Zikim Beach and the nearby kibbutz, and the Trans-Israel oil pipeline terminal near Ashkelon.

Ynet's report on the navy probe summarized the same assault as a Hamas amphibious infiltration in which most of the boat force was intercepted, but 16 attackers reached shore at Zikim Beach. The boats therefore served as assault transport rather than as independently identified naval weapon systems.

Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, Ynet Navy Probe

Identification limits

The conflict-use evidence supports the presence and use of small motorized assault craft, but it does not establish a specific boat class, builder, engine fit, or standardized Hamas model. This record treats the item as a generic small assault boat because the direct sources describe the craft by function and broad type.

Sources: Times of Israel Zikim Beach IDF Probe, IDF October 7 Massacre Explained, Ynet Navy Probe

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Sources