“The public has a right to answers” ​​– First investigation shows IDF failure in the Battle of Be’eri on October 7

“The public has a right to answers, and we must answer the most difficult and painful questions,” said IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari as the Israeli army presented its first comprehensive investigation into its failures during the Hamas invasion on October 7.

“Today we presented the investigation into the Battle of Be’eri,” Hagari said. “We present the investigations according to their level of readiness. This investigation is the beginning of a process.”

The results of the investigation, led by former Gaza Division Commander, Major General (ret.) Mickey Edelstein, were first presented to the kibbutz community and the bereaved and published on Thursday afternoon.

The Israeli Defense Forces investigation found that 101 civilians were murdered, 32 people were kidnapped and 31 security forces members were killed in the fighting for Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas invasion.

On that fateful morning, 340 terrorists entered the kibbutz area, led by 100 terrorists from the terrorist group’s elite Nukhba unit, among whose Nuseirat Battalion.

After hours of fighting, 100 terrorists were killed on the kibbutz’s territory, 18 terrorists were captured and taken for interrogation, and the rest managed to escape.

The invasion began at 6:45 a.m. from two different directions, and by 9 a.m. the kibbutz was occupied. The terrorists then began a campaign of murder and kidnapping that lasted until about 1 p.m.

Half an hour later, the Israeli army began to take control of the kibbutz, but the fighting continued until 5 a.m. the next day. Kibbutz Be’eri was not declared completely safe until around 3 p.m. on October 8.

During the investigation, several specific failures were identified. For example, the people of Be’eri were left to fend for themselves for seven hours while the local security team fought against enormous numerical superiority without the support of the Israeli forces. By 1:30 p.m., 26 Israelis were fighting against 340 terrorists.

One of the main reasons the kibbutz was overwhelmed was that the battalion in charge of the area was fighting for survival in its outposts and could not send troops elsewhere. In addition, the Southern Command was not prepared for an attack of this magnitude and had no reserve forces available.

For unclear reasons, significant Israeli forces gathered outside the kibbutz in the afternoon, but did not intervene in the fighting until late in the evening.

This may be due to the fact that the higher ranks of the Israeli Defense Forces, particularly the Gaza Division, the Operations Directorate and the General Staff, did not receive a detailed picture of what was happening on the ground. The local security team had a good overview of the situation, but was not contacted by the Israeli Defense Forces.

For reasons that remain unclear, IDF commanders who arrived in Be’eri later decided to withdraw their troops without permission while the fighting was still ongoing.

Another failure highlighted was that in several cases, IDF forces treated and evacuated wounded soldiers before doing the same to civilians.

The investigation also focused on the controversial “House of Pessi” incident, which was one of three major hostage-takings during the invasion itself.

Hamas terrorists rounded up fifteen civilians and took them to Pessi Cohen’s house, where they held them while IDF troops retook the kibbutz and surrounded the house. By that time, one of the hostages was already dead, the investigation found.

After the incident, it was alleged that Brigadier General Barak Hiram, the commander of the 99th Division who commanded the troops surrounding the house, ordered a tank to shell the house and kill many of the hostages, leading to the postponement of his planned promotion.

The investigation largely acquitted Hiram and stated that most of the hostages were killed by the terrorists. Only one hostage was injured by a tank shell that did not explode but caused part of the house to collapse and killed the hostage.

According to the investigation, Hiram and other high-ranking commanders acted in a coordinated and professional manner in the face of a difficult and complex situation.