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Israeli army failed in its mission to protect kibbutz from Hamas

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Image description, More residents were killed in Kibbutz Be’eri than in any other Israeli community attacked by Hamas on October 7.

The Israeli Defense Minister called for a government investigation into the causes of the Hamas attacks on October 7. The military had previously admitted that it had failed in its duty to protect a small community in which 101 people were killed.

Yoav Gallant made these comments after the first of a series of official Israeli military reports revealed how the army operated in Kibbutz Be’eri, near the Gaza border fence.

On October 7, more residents of this kibbutz were killed than in any other Israeli community after armed men from Gaza entered the area and vandalized their homes.

Mr Gallant said an independent national investigation was needed to examine the actions of all those in power, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in relation to Hamas’s strength and capabilities over the past decade.

  • Author, Nick Beake
  • Role, BBC News, Jerusalem

In the unprecedented attack last autumn, around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage to Gaza.

It led to the major Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, in which, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, over 38,000 Palestinians were killed.

Kibbutz members said it was important that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted it had failed to protect them, and they too called for a national investigation.

video subtitles, Video footage shows Hamas fighters entering Kibbutz Be’eri

While the report, prepared by a senior military officer, praised the bravery of security personnel, it said Israeli forces were unprepared for the extensive infiltration by Hamas and that “for the first seven hours of fighting, the kibbutz residents defended themselves.”

It said: “The investigation team concluded that the Israeli forces failed in their mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri.”

  • The Israeli forces “struggled to establish a clear and accurate assessment” of the events in the kibbutz until the afternoon of the attacks, which began at dawn.
  • There was a “lack of leadership and control, a lack of coordination and a lack of order between the various forces and units”
  • Due to the confusion, security forces gathered at the entrance to the kibbutz, but waited to be let in while Hamas killed people.
  • That “the heroism and outstanding courage of the fighting troops, commanders and security forces” saved many residents

The report also dealt with the order for a tank to fire on a house where 13 hostages were being held.

Brigadier General Barak Hiram, commander of the 99th Infantry Division, was not held personally responsible; it was found that he, along with other senior officers, acted professionally under “complex and difficult circumstances.”

The report states: “The tank shelling near the house was carried out professionally. The decision was made jointly by the commanders of all security organizations after careful consideration and assessment of the situation. The aim was to put pressure on the terrorists and rescue the civilians trapped in the house.”

Brigadier General Hiram will soon take command of the Gaza Division.

The report’s authors concluded that, to their knowledge, no civilians in the building were harmed by tank shell fire, apart from an “isolated incident outside the building in which two civilians were injured by shrapnel.”

It said: “The team concluded that most of the hostages were probably murdered by the terrorists. Further investigation and verification of additional evidence is required.”

The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces accepted all the conclusions of the report and ordered that they be integrated into future operational plans.

video subtitles, Bullet holes, burnt-out rooms: Interior view of a destroyed kibbutz house

On October 7, Hamas killed one in ten of Be’eri’s 1,000 residents in a shooting spree that began after dawn and lasted for hours.

Sharon Sharabi, whose two brothers Yossi and Eli were taken hostage to Gaza, had previously been informed of the report and said he had learned nothing new from the official findings.

“There was a failure of leadership here. This is a difficult and terrible picture,” he said.

Yossi, 53, was declared dead (by Israeli authorities) and the fate of Eli, who would now be 52, is unknown.

Mr Sharabi said: “There is no way to sugarcoat it. No amount of investigation they try can make it look rosy. It is impossible.”

Image description, This report is likely to be the first in a series of investigations into the Israeli military’s handling of the October 7 attacks.

In a statement, residents of Kibbutz Be’eri said it was of great importance to them that the Israeli forces had asked them for forgiveness for failing to protect them from an “unprecedented attack of evil”.

“The army’s failure has been etched into our bodies and hearts for nine months,” their statement said.

Residents said they have yet to receive a satisfactory answer as to why the army did not enter the kibbutz, nor has there been an explanation for the intelligence failure that allowed Hamas to launch its mass attack undetected.

They also called for a national (state) investigation, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unwilling to do so.

Thursday’s report is expected to be the first in a series of investigations by the Israel Defense Forces into the response to the October 7 attacks in various parts of southern Israel where Hamas attacked.

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