Findings of the IDF’s investigation into Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7 indicate many forces were summoned to Kibbutz Kfar Aza at the start of the assault. At the peak of the fighting, at least 20 different IDF battalions and other elite units were present in the area, fighting without the direction of a commanding officer. Consequently, it now seems that civilians and soldiers were killed by friendly fire, though exact numbers are yet to be established.
"You can save a lot of energy. Just take the investigation on kibbutz Be'eri, copy it over, and write 'Kibbutz Kfar Aza' in the headline," said Batya Holin, a member of the kibbutz who survived the massacre and documented the harsh battles via her vehicle’s dashboard camera.
The IDF investigation findings on Be'eri published last week brought haunting memories back for Kfar Aza’s members. In the coming weeks, the military is set to release its official investigation regarding the kibbutz.
Holin occasionally visits the kibbutz but leaves quickly as soon as the memories return. Some 64 residents were murdered in Kfar Aza, including seven members of the local alert squad. Nineteen were kidnapped, and only 14 returned. Five members are still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Report estimations say 400-600 terrorists infiltrated Kfar Aza on October 7. About 100 Nukhba terrorists infiltrated in the first wave, and members of the local alert squads found themselves in a hopeless battle for survival.
While some soldiers engaged the enemy and rescued civilians, the investigation will likely report many of the forces that arrived in Kfar Aza didn’t know what to do or where to go, not realizing the importance of rescuing the civilians trapped in their homes. Most of the findings are based on testimonies of kibbutz members, correspondence, documentation and security camera footage.
The investigation team also has footage from Batya Holin’s dashboard camera. "My car has a very advanced security system that I installed in it," she said. "Front and rear cameras that activate when someone approaches or touches the car, even when it's not running, and they record everything. I get an alert via an app and can see who’s near my car in real time.
"When the terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz and approached my car, the cameras activated, and I saw everything through my phone. I was sitting in the safe room at home, hearing explosions and shouts in Arabic, and I could see the terrorists in the area through the car cameras," she recounted.
She also recalled how she managed to contact a special Israeli Air Force unit and provide them with their location. "I saw armed groups arriving with massive amounts of weapons. I saw the battles near my house in real time. The images don't leave my mind to this day. Even after the battles ended, my car continued to document the bulldozers removing the bodies of terrorists and our dear friends who fell fighting. I handed over all the footage from the car cameras to the Shin Bet at their request."
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit responded in a statement, saying: "We’re in the midst of investigations into the events of October 7, including the battle in Kfar Aza. Once the investigation is concluded, it will first be presented to the community and bereaved families, and then transparently published to the public."