The navy singled out the efforts of the kibbutz’s safety coordinator for his position in stopping the fear infiltration by persevering with to return hearth regardless of being wounded.
Whereas Hamas was unsuccessful in its try and infiltrate Kibbutz Gevim throughout the October 7 bloodbath, the navy failed in its mission to defend the kibbutz, in accordance with the IDF’s findings launched on Tuesday.
The military’s probe discovered that the kibbutz’s emergency standby squad operated “optimally” all through the occasions, which allowed for the continued protection of the kibbutz till organized navy forces arrived on October 8.
Singling out the efforts of the kibbutz’s safety coordinator, the IDF stated that he was capable of return hearth towards the terrorists attempting to infiltrate the kibbutz, disrupting their efforts, regardless of being severely wounded.
The investigation famous {that a} group of eight Hamas terrorists had attacked the kibbutz.
Nevertheless, confronted with these disruptions, they redirected, persevering with their bloodbath alongside Freeway 34 and in Yachini as an alternative.
Civilians, together with journalists, take cowl behind vehicles as IDF troopers conflict with infiltrating terrorists on Freeway 34, close to Kibbutz Gevim, October 7, 2023. (credit score: OREN ZIV/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
As for the kibbutz’s emergency standby squad, it was capable of present the commander of the Golani Brigade’s thirteenth Battalion with ammunition, steering, and escort exterior Kibbutz Gevim’s fence, together with rescuing civilians from a close-by gasoline station, which the probe highlighted as noteworthy.
As well as, the crew, together with different kibbutz residents, offered medical care and evacuated wounded people, which possible performed a key position in saving lives.
The navy discovered that the majority residents of Kibbutz Gevim evacuated their houses independently, reasonably than as a part of a coordinated evacuation effort.
Because the kibbutz is positioned inside a spread of 0-4 kilometers of the Gaza safety perimeter, the investigation recommends that it must be allotted means and sources much like these of each neighborhood with this standing.
The navy famous that it isn’t doable to exactly reconstruct what occurred on the kibbutz’s perimeter fence, as there are not any cameras in the neighborhood’s protection installations.
The probe discovered that the kibbutz’s emergency response crew had 20 members, with 16 weapons in its possession. On the time the bloodbath started, many of the weapons have been saved within the armory. The exceptions have been the non-public weapons of the safety coordinator, his deputy, and three crew members.
October 7-8 timeline of occasions close to and in Kibbutz Gevim
Part 1: Beginning time of the assault because the terrorists head to the kibbutz to aim infiltration (from 6:29 a.m. till 7:25 a.m.)
Purple Alert sirens have been sounded throughout the nation at 6:29 a.m. because the bloodbath started.
At roughly 6:58 a.m., terrorists have been transferring within the space of the commercial factories of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, that are positioned close to Gevim.
At 7:10 a.m., the kibbutz’s safety coordinator instructed his deputy to return to the perimeter gate as a result of complexity of the scenario.
At 7:13 a.m., the deputy despatched a WhatsApp message to emergency standby squad members, warning them of the complexities of the unfolding occasion and ordering them to retrieve their weapons.
At 7:21 a.m., a element of eight terrorists driving in a pickup truck handed the Sha’ar Hanegev junction, heading towards Kibbutz Gevim.
At 7:22, the terrorists tried to interrupt into the gasoline station close to the kibbutz – unsuccessfully.
By 7:25, these Nukhba terrorists had reached the kibbutz guard publish and tried to infiltrate it.
Part 2: Battle on the kibbutz perimeter gate (from 7:25 a.m. till 7:28 a.m.)
At roughly 7:15 a.m., the kibbutz’s safety coordinator went on patrol, driving alongside the kibbutz’s perimeter street. When he reached the realm by the guard publish, terrorists opened hearth on him from the course of the perimeter fence.
The safety coordinator retreated barely from that time, exited the automobile, and returned hearth. He was wounded within the firefight.
Whereas this was occurring, he reported the encounter with the terrorists to his deputy, in addition to to the deputy safety coordinator of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council. The kibbutz deputy moved towards the purpose of contact with the terrorists and directed the emergency standby squad to the kibbutz’s fundamental gate.
At 7:26 a.m., an operations officer from the IDF House Entrance Command’s Southern District, who was a resident of the kibbutz, left their house and headed to the guard publish. They have been hit by terrorist gunfire.
A minute later, one of many kibbutz’s residents drove towards the guard publish and was additionally hit by terrorist gunfire. On the identical time, Hamas threw a grenade at this identical resident.
At 7:28 a.m., the terrorists left the kibbutz perimeter gate space, en path to Yachini as an alternative.
At 7:29, the terrorists, whereas on Freeway 34, opened hearth on a automobile belonging to a resident of the kibbutz, wounding him. The resident continued to drive and efficiently entered Kibbutz Gevim.
At 7:30, the deputy safety coordinator, together with a kibbutz resident, Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Gil Shwarsman arrived on the kibbutz’s fundamental gate.
Then, at roughly 7:33 a.m., members of the kibbutz’s emergency standby squad have been instructed to take up defensive positions within the kibbutz.
From this level onward, Shwarsman took command of the emergency standby squad and served as safety coordinator for the kibbutz at some point of the bloodbath.
Part 3: Combating the terrorists on Freeway 34 and in Yachini (07:40 a.m. till 10:40 a.m.)
At 7:40 a.m., 11 members of the standby squad had taken positions at 5 places across the kibbutz and remained there to hold out defensive missions all through the day. Moreover, a crew started patrolling the realm.
At 7:55 a.m., the deputy safety coordinator despatched a message to all remaining unarmed members of the emergency standby squad, instructing them to proceed to the kibbutz armory to arm themselves.
At 8:04, terrorists reached Yachini and break up into two teams; one group stayed in Yachini, and the opposite fled in a stolen automobile that drove within the course of fields north of the neighborhood.
At 8:09, the terrorist squadron arrange an ambush alongside Freeway 34 between Gevim and Yachini.
At 8:11, terrorists murdered two civilians who have been fleeing from the Nova music competition.
At 8:14 a.m., Sgt. Amit Guetta, from the Maglan particular commando unit, positioned and recognized a terrorist ambush on the freeway, making a U-turn to thwart them. Guetta was critically wounded by the terrorists and succumbed to his wounds.
Subsequently, and till round 10:40, the remainder of the terrorists have been killed throughout a number of separate encounters by the police’s Counterterrorism Unit (Yamam), an officer from the police’s Yoav Unit, and safety guards from a close-by municipal safety unit.
Further safety personnel, in addition to armed civilians, additionally assisted within the preventing alongside each the freeway and in Yachini.
Part 4: Arrival of extra protection forces and rescue of civilians at a close-by gasoline station (10:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 till 4 p.m. on Oct. 8)
At roughly 10:30 a.m., the commander of the Golani Brigade’s thirteenth Battalion, Lt.-Col. Tomer Grinberg arrived on the gate of the kibbutz.
Concurrently, emergency standby squad members offered ammunition magazines to Grinberg, escorting him and his crew to Gevim junction. Grinberg’s goal was to achieve Kibbutz Kfar Aza by way of open fields.
Upon reaching Gevim junction, they noticed a hostile automobile driving in an open area and opened hearth at it.
At 12:00 p.m., two automobiles carrying members of the emergency standby squad left the kibbutz, striving to achieve the close by gasoline station with a view to rescue 12 civilians who have been sheltered in a protected room there.
As well as, different members of the squad have been deployed to employees the kibbutz’s guard posts.
Moreover, a few squad members scanned the kibbutz space, going from home to deal with to assist residents as a lot as doable.
Combating continued to rage on Freeway 34 and within the open fields surrounding the kibbutz all through October 7, the probe famous.
At 6 p.m., a gaggle of troopers from the air pressure’s Shaldag particular forces unit arrived on the gasoline station close to the kibbutz to organize for additional deployment. Once they neared the Gevim junction, the group exited their automobiles, listening to gunfire.
By and by, a gaggle of officers from a Border Police tactical unit, which was transferring within the space, was looking for a location to conduct a briefing and arrived on the guard publish, the place they met Shwarsman.
He then knowledgeable the group of law enforcement officials that members of the kibbutz’s standby squad, who have been protecting positions alongside the kibbutz perimeter fence, had recognized suspicious exercise on a close-by hill between Freeway 34 and the kibbutz.
Following this knowledge, in his position as safety coordinator, Shwarsman break up the tactical unit of officers at roughly 6:10 p.m. A few of them moved towards the statement level, whereas others started a flanking maneuver directed on the close by hill.
The police carried out a sweep, together with using reside hearth, to focus on the factors the place the suspicious actions have been recognized. These actions have been carried out in coordination with the air pressure’s Shaldag and the remainder of the tactical unit.
On October 8, at about 4 p.m., an organized navy pressure arrived to defend the kibbutz. Till that point, the kibbutz’s protection was primarily based primarily on the emergency standby squad.
Residents who had not already evacuated by this level acquired evacuation help from IDF troopers who arrived that afternoon.
Throughout subsequent searches of the realm, safety personnel found overseas employees. One in every of them was discovered wounded, and the opposite was discovered lifeless.
Moreover, reside terrorists, in addition to the our bodies of those that have been efficiently killed, have been positioned within the following days within the areas surrounding Gevim, Yachini, and different components of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.
This led to extra clashes between safety forces and the remaining terrorists.
