Bahad 4

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Bahad 4 (Hebrew: בה"ד 4‎), commonly known as Batar Zikim (בט"ר זיקים, literally, Zikim training base) is a training base (bahad) belonging to the Israel Defense Forces.

Zikim is located 8 km south of Ashkelon. It was named after the nearby kibbutz Zikim.

The majority of new recruits in Zikim pass the Rifleman 02 recruit training (tironut) which has all but replaced the older 00 level that was usually reserved for non-combat woman recruits.

[edit] Structure and board

The base comprises 9 companies for any kinds of troops. There is a special company for commander training (קורס מפקדים) and officers' course. Female commanders are dominant on the base.

Each company is represented by a letter in the Hebrew alphabet (from alef (1) to yud (10), while skipping zayin (7)), as well as a word starting with the corresponding letter. Each company also has an official motto. The company names are as follows:

1. Alef (א) - Eitan
2. Bet (ב) - Bardelas
3. Gimel (ג) - Golan
4. Daled (ד) - Dores
5. Hey (ה) - Harel
6. Vav (ו) - Vulcan
7. Het (ח) - Horev
8. Tet (ט) - Tornado
9. Yud (י) - Yuval

[edit] Qassam fire

Bahad 4 is one of the few Israeli military bases located within range of Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, and has endured numerous barrages. On September 11, 2007, a Qassam rocket hit an empty tent, causing injuries to soldiers in neighboring tents. Four soldiers were seriously wounded and a further 63 were treated for moderate to light wounds and shock.^[1]