October 11th 2023.
Revellers who had gathered for an end-of-season party on an Israeli beach found themselves under fire as Hamas launched a surprise coastal attack. Bar workers described their dramatic escape from the onslaught of gunfire and rockets.
Ariel Ein-Gal, 26, was among the 20 young people camping out on the sands after the party at the Mileva bar in Be’er Sheva. He recalled the terror of the early morning attack. “Around 6am we woke up to sounds of loud bangs and sirens. We had made a camp between two containers so we ran there and hid for around 20 minutes. Then I saw rubber boats from the coast filled with Hamas fighters, there were three rubber boats with between six and eight men in each of them. The IDF [Israeli Defence Force] started shooting at them, and the terrorists started shooting at us, so I screamed at everyone on the beach to run.”
The group had to flee under heavy fire, and soon realized that the terrorists had infiltrated their area. In a bid for safety, they decided to hide at a nearby military base. Ariel took the 18-year-old guard's M16 rifle to protect the group. However, the base was also being bombed from Gaza, so they decided it was time to make a break for it.
Unfortunately, the group encountered an ambush set by the militants on a stretch of road. Ariel recalled, “A couple of terrorists had killed police officers and taken two patrol cars which they used in the ambush. We were driving at 130kph and I told my friend to slow down for the police so they would not shoot us. When we got closer we saw what we thought was a dead body in one of the cars and when we got closer still, within 20 to 30 metres, the dead body woke up and started shooting at us. At the same time his friends in the bushes started shooting at us too.”
One of the group was shot in the hand, but they managed to escape, eventually reaching an ambulance further east. The remaining 10 people in the group had been warned of the ambush, and returned to the military base. However, tragedy struck as it emerged that a member of the group, Mor Gabbay, had been killed. Ariel said, “Mor had decided to drive back to her parents’ home in Be’er Sheva around 10 minutes before the first sounds of explosions. Her friends found the 30-year-old’s empty car riddled with bullet holes in the middle of the road before it emerged that her body had been taken by a police officer who was first on the scene.”
Ahiad Ben-Yitzchak, a cook at the bar, was shot in the left bicep as he fled in another of the three vehicles. He described the surreal experience of coming face to face with the gunmen. “We started to hear bullets whistling around us. It was unmistakable, we have experienced it in the army and we even recognised it from the movies. We looked west and saw rubber boats with people shooting at us from inside Israeli territory. It was surreal. They weren’t stray bullets, they were directly at us, they were popping glass bottles and on the sand around us.”
The group made a miraculous escape under sustained gunfire and rocket fire. Despite the tragedy of Mor’s death, the group of friends were thankful to have made it out alive.
Revellers who had gathered for an end-of-season party on an Israeli beach found themselves under fire as Hamas launched a surprise coastal attack.
Bar workers have told of how they made a dramatic escape under heavy fire after Hamas terrorists packed in small boats attacked a scenic beach where they were camped out for a party.
Ariel Ein-Gal, one of the revellers, was among the group of around 20 people aged between 24 and 28. Ariel told of the chaotic events of that morning.
"We all worked at a pub in Be’er Sheva and we went to Zikim to celebrate staff leaving and the New Year. Around 6am we woke up to sounds of loud bangs and sirens. We had made a camp between two containers so we ran there and hid for around 20 minutes. Then I saw rubber boats from the coast filled with Hamas fighters, there were three rubber boats with between six and eight men in each of them.
The Israeli Defence Force started shooting at them, and the terrorists started shooting at us, so I screamed at everyone on the beach to run. We all ran towards our cars, but after realising the gunmen had infiltrated the area, we decided to seek shelter at a nearby military base."
The group pleaded with the guards at the base to let them in. After being allowed to take cover in a missile-proof outbuilding, Ariel took the 18-year-old guard's rifle to protect everyone. The group heard the sound of bullets and bombs getting closer as time passed.
Ariel explained, "We didn't know if we were going to die from missiles or die from shooting, or get kidnapped. So we decided we had no choice but to brave gunfire out in the open."
The group then decided to make a break for safety in two cars and a SUV, but they encountered an ambush set by the militants on a long stretch of road that heads from the beach towards Zimi town.
Ariel described the scene as they drove by, "A couple of terrorists had killed police officers and taken two patrol cars which they used in the ambush. We were driving at 130kph and I told my friend to slow down for the police so they would not shoot us. When we got closer we saw what we thought was a dead body in one of the cars and when we got closer still, within 20 to 30 metres, the dead body woke up and started shooting at us."
Luckily, they managed to escape unscathed and made it to ambulances further east. However, Mor Gabbay, one of the group, had decided to drive back to her parents’ home in Be’er Sheva around 10 minutes before the first sounds of explosions. Her friends found her empty car riddled with bullet holes in the middle of the road and her body had been taken by a police officer who was first on the scene.
Another of the group, Ahiad Ben-Yitzchak, was shot in the left bicep as he fled in one of the vehicles. He described how close the gunmen came to the group on the beach, which had a fortified sea barrier supposed to guard against amphibious attacks.
Ahiad said, "We started to hear bullets whistling around us. It was unmistakable, we have experienced it in the army and we even recognised it from the movies. We looked west and saw rubber boats with people shooting at us from inside Israeli territory. It was surreal. They weren’t stray bullets, they were directly at us, they were popping glass bottles and on the sand around us."
The group were incredibly lucky to make it out of the attack alive. Ariel and his friends were left shaken by the events of that morning. The surprise attack by Hamas on Zikim beach highlighted the ever-present danger of invasion in the region.
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