ZIKIM BASE, Israel-Gaza border:\u00a0It was one of the deadliest clashes of Israel\u2019s ground war in Gaza against Hamas.\u00a0Nine soldiers killed, some top officers, along with several injured.\u00a0It happened when Hamas terrorists ambushed\u00a0troops Tuesday on a mission in the Shejaiya section of Gaza City.\u00a0On the same day, another soldier was killed farther north.<\/p>\n
Fox News spent time that day, just a few miles away, at the Zikim base on the northern Gaza border, a dusty place with sand dunes around and the Mediterranean Sea nearby.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We watched for several hours as troops steadily streamed toward and away from the battle. They rode in pumped-up, open-top Humvees that sometimes made them look more like extras in a \u2018Mad Max\u2019 movie.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ones going in also rode side-by-side in troop carrier trucks.\u00a0They seemed more tentative.\u00a0The ones on the way out looked relieved that they were getting a break from some of the worst urban combat in decades. Some gave us the thumbs up.\u00a0\u00a0Many looked pretty young.\u00a0Enlisted and reserve soldiers in the mix.<\/p>\n
We asked Major \u2018Isaac\u2019 (the IDF asked that we use just his first name), a veteran on and off for much of the eight-week ground war, how the fight was.<\/p>\n
\u2018I need to pick a word,\u2019 he replied.\u00a0 And then said, \u2018Tough.\u2019 Responding further, \u00a0\u2018\u2026yeh, definitely.\u2019<\/p>\n
Major \u2018Isaac\u2019\u00a0noted Hamas was\u00a0\u2018hiding\u2026 some of the time.\u2019\u00a0And added about the heavily-armed terrorists, \u2018They are prepared.\u2019<\/p>\n
He and other soldiers didn\u2019t have to look far for reasons why they were in the fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starting on Oct. 7,\u00a0the Zikim base was attacked by dozens of Hamas fighters, arriving there by land and by sea. More veteran soldiers had to take over for the young recruits and fend them off.\u00a0Bullet holes and rocket impacts could still be seen on the walls of the base\u2019s shelters, the pavement and watch tower.<\/p>\n
In the end, they won out, killing all 50 terrorists who targeted this prime location in wave after wave.\u00a0But seven soldiers would be killed as well.\u00a0These kinds of attacks were repeated at other bases, kibbutzes and towns. Which would lead to the massive Israeli air war, and now the ground action.<\/p>\n
We asked Major \u2018Isaac\u2019 about the concerns regarding the huge destruction and loss of life for the residents of Gaza caused by Israel\u2019s air and ground offensive.\u00a0He noted tersely, \u2018No one wants to hurt civilians.\u2019<\/p>\n
We also spoke with another soldier, Major \u2018Omri.\u2019 He seemed a bit more bullish about his side\u2019s contact with the Hamas foe. \u2018They\u2019re tired,\u2019 he told us. \u2018We\u2019ll shoot them,\u2019 he added, \u2018we\u2019ll find them, even in the tunnels.\u2019<\/p>\n
Asked to sum up the future prospects for the IDF in this fight, he came back with a reply that sounded a bit \u2018boilerplate,\u2019 but still calmly confident:<\/p>\n
\u2018The IDF is more than willing to continue to do whatever it takes to fulfill operational goals,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest takeaways from our couple-hour visit to Zikim: What a huge operation this war is, with so many moving parts.\u00a0That base is just one of many entry points for thousands and thousands of soldiers pouring into the battle.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also, the impression that this war is taking its toll on all involved.\u00a0The death and destruction for the residents of Gaza caught in the crossfire.\u00a0The hostages who remain stranded just a few miles from the base.\u00a0As well as the strain from the combat in which these soldiers are participating.\u00a0Still, their determination remains.<\/p>\n
Fox News\u2019s Emily Robertson contributed to this article.<\/p>\n\n
ZIKIM BASE, Israel-Gaza border:\u00a0It was one of the deadliest clashes of Israel\u2019s ground war in Gaza against Hamas.\u00a0Nine soldiers killed, some top officers, along with several injured.\u00a0It happened when Hamas terrorists ambushed\u00a0troops Tuesday on a mission in the Shejaiya section of Gaza City.\u00a0On the same day, another soldier was killed farther north. Fox News spent <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":12833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12832","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}