Israel: People in Kibbutz Beeri fought alone against Hamas attackers

An internal investigation by the Israeli army into its role in the massacre by Palestinian terrorists on October 7 in a kibbutz admits the military’s failure. “The commission of inquiry finds that the Israeli armed forces failed in their mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Beeri,” the published report states. The report had previously been presented to the residents there, who were not satisfied with it and also demanded that the government set up a commission of inquiry.

Terrorists from Hamas and other groups in the Gaza Strip attacked several kibbutzim, villages and towns as well as a music festival in southern Israel on October 7. They killed more than 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage to Gaza. Israeli security forces and political decision-makers were completely taken by surprise on the day of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

In Kibbutz Beeri alone, close to the Gaza border, the terrorists killed 101 civilians. They abducted another 30 into the Gaza Strip, 11 of whom are still in Hamas’s power. 31 members of the security forces were killed in the fighting with the murderous invaders.

Israel’s army not prepared for Hamas attack

The army was “not prepared for the scenario of a massive infiltration like on October 7,” the authors conclude. They also admit to a “lack of coordination” among the troops on the ground.

It is important “that the army takes responsibility for its complete failure to protect us,” the kibbutz said. The community called for the establishment of a government commission so that “the incredible loss” of the kibbutz cannot be repeated.

Soldiers waited in front of Kibbutz Beeri

The kibbutz pointed to some of the missing answers in the report – for example, to the question of why the soldiers stationed outside the kibbutz did not take action against the Hamas fighters for hours while “the kibbutz was burning and its residents were begging for help.”

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari admitted in a televised address on Thursday evening that the residents of Beeri had to “fight alone for seven hours.” He confirmed witness accounts of hundreds of soldiers sitting idle and waiting for orders.

Report praises kibbutz defenders

The internal army report praises the courage of the kibbutz residents and their security service. Their efforts were crucial in “stabilizing the situation in the first hours of the fighting and preventing the attack from spreading to other parts of the kibbutz.”

The unprecedented massacre by the Islamist Hamas and its allies triggered the Gaza War. Survivors of Kibbutz Beeri welcomed the report, but criticized its narrowing down to the role of the army. Rather, it is also about clarifying the responsibility of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has so far steadfastly refused to account for any possible failures of his own.