Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council.

[1] Palmachim was established on 11 April 1949 by former members of the Palmach underground organization's Yiftach Brigade,[2] on land of the depopulated Palestinian village of Nabi Rubin.

In 2006 former residents of Elei Sinai, an Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip evicted during the disengagement plan protested to the government until they were allowed to move to the kibbutz.

The ruins of ancient Yavne's seaport, Yavneh-Yam, are located nearby, and its archaeological findings are on display in the kibbutz's small museum.

There are also plans to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on Palmachim beach, though this has led to several protests and was delayed.