Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
A small Golani Brigade force and heroic resistance from the local alert squad managed to repel Hamas’ initial assault on Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023, but 22 people were killed inside the kibbutz, and 35 others nearby, most of them Nova music festival attendees fleeing the massacre. The attack also led to the abduction of five kibbutz residents, two of whom remain in captivity in Gaza.
These findings come from the IDF’s investigation into the battle at Alumim, which was presented to the community in recent days and released to the public on Wednesday evening. The report details severe combat conditions, including friendly fire incidents that resulted in additional casualties.
One of the friendly fire victims was Ofek Aton, who fled the Nova festival with his partner and found shelter in the kibbutz. Amid the chaos, he was mistaken for an enemy and shot dead by security forces.
A similar case, still surrounded by uncertainty, involved a Thai worker who rushed toward Alumim after learning that his colleagues were being attacked. He climbed over the kibbutz fence to help but was mistaken for a terrorist and fatally shot by an IDF soldier. The probe found that no official confirmation of his identity had been issued by Israeli authorities. Additionally, two Israeli civilians were injured in separate friendly fire incidents that day.
According to the investigation, Hamas breached the kibbutz at 7:01 a.m. under cover of a massive rocket and mortar barrage that had begun at 6:29 a.m. The attackers first targeted the dairy farm, where they murdered foreign workers.
Ofek AtonHowever, many diverted their focus to hundreds of Nova festival attendees who were fleeing along Route 232, adjacent to the kibbutz. Dozens were gunned down, while those who survived sought refuge inside the kibbutz, hiding in residents' safe rooms.
At Nahal Oz, Capt. B., commander of a Golani Brigade reserve company, scrambled a small detachment, successfully repelling part of the Hamas assault. Inside the kibbutz, local alert squad members, police officers and armed civilians engaged in intense combat, holding off the infiltrators. Meanwhile, the first special forces team sent to reinforce the kibbutz, Shaldag Unit, was ambushed at the perimeter, suffering casualties.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
In total, 100 Hamas terrorists entered Alumim, and 40 were killed by security forces and the local alert squad. The tide turned later in the morning when Paratroopers' 890th Battalion arrived by helicopter at a landing zone near the kibbutz around 11:00 a.m. The force came under heavy fire upon landing, with one of their Sikorsky helicopters destroyed. Initially bound for Be’eri and Nahal Oz, the paratroopers diverted after hearing the gunfire from Alumim, leaving part of their force to assist in the battle.
By the end of the day, 17 different IDF units had fought in Alumim, and by the afternoon, command and control had been restored.
The nine-month-long investigation included interviews with soldiers, operational logs, surveillance footage, enemy body cameras and intelligence reports.
The rapid response from the kibbutz alert squad played a crucial role in halting the Hamas infiltration. The report also credits the improvised command post set up at 11:00 a.m., which coordinated reinforcements and stabilized defensive lines.
Another key factor was Alumim’s proximity to major battle zones such as Be’eri and Re’im. Many passing IDF units diverted to help after hearing gunfire, despite Alumim not being their original mission target.
However, similar to other IDF post-battle reviews, the probe found that the Gaza Division and Northern Brigade had deployed too few forces to the area, despite known intelligence warnings about the Hamas threat.