The IDF today (Wednesday) published the findings of the operational investigation into the battle in Kibbutz Alumim and the surrounding area - as part of the Hamas attack on October 7.
The investigation points to a breakdown in command capacity, difficulty in forming a situational picture, and critical errors in the deployment of forces. However, it also notes numerous displays of heroism on the part of the fighters, commanders, and security forces who defended the settlement and prevented an even greater disaster.
The investigation shows that the IDF failed in its mission to defend the settlement, when approximately 100 terrorists, most of them from the Nuhba unit, infiltrated the area.
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In Kibbutz Alumim, 22 civilians were killed, including 20 workers from Thailand and Nepal who were murdered by Hamas terrorists. Two of those staying at the kibbutz on Simchat Torah morning were kidnapped and taken to Gaza, including Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese citizen, and Sergeant Ran Gwili, a member of the Negev Army, who fell in battle and his body was taken prisoner.
The investigation also revealed that three civilians were accidentally shot by security forces on the kibbutz after being suspected of being terrorists: Ofek Atun, who fled with his girlfriend Tamar Kam from the Nuba party in Re'im, was killed as a result of the shooting, and his girlfriend Tamar was injured. A foreign worker from Thailand who lived in Moshav Shuva was also shot dead as he walked near the kibbutz fence in the evening.
According to the investigation, under the cover of the hundreds of rockets that Hamas launched towards the Gaza Envelope on the morning of October 7, terrorists from Hamas' Nuhba unit arrived at the kibbutz on motorcycles.
At 07:01, ten terrorists entered the kibbutz through the back gate and exited through the main gate. At 07:09, they murdered ten foreign workers near the main gate, next to Highway 232, and then set up an ambush there.
For ten minutes, the investigation determined, the terrorists massacred civilians who had fled the Nuba party outside the kibbutz. The investigation detailed the shocking manner in which the terrorists shot at civilians at close range, some of whom were in protective shelters.
The IDF defined the massacre as "executions.".
A force from the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, together with fighters from the Negev Special Operations Command, fought battles against the terrorists. The Hamas force commander at the scene was killed, and the terrorists retreated into the kibbutz from the area from which they had come. At the same time, members of the Alumim readiness squad began to equip themselves.
At 07:24, the terrorists, while fleeing back to the Gaza Strip, stopped at the foreign workers' residence, not far from the entrance gate to the kibbutz, where they murdered 20 of the foreign citizens. The investigation revealed that the terrorists had built positions between the residence and the dairy, and the forces' attempts to reach them failed.
At 07:30, Ofek Atun and Tamar Kam managed to escape with their vehicle to the kibbutz area and entered Migonit. They later hid near one of the houses inside the kibbutz. Under cover of the chaos, the emergency squad arrived at the scene to rescue civilians.
The investigation revealed that Atun thought one of the members of the alert squad was a terrorist. He took a knife and approached one of them, shooting him to death. Later, the alert squad members also shot Kam, who approached them. After she was wounded, the security personnel realized that they were two Israeli civilians. Tamar was taken to the hospital and is still in rehabilitation.
Later, members of the alert squad identified ten motorcycles carrying armed terrorists as they were moving from the direction of Kibbutz Be'ari to Alumim. They killed three of them and drove them back to the Be'ari area.
At 09:20, a force of about 15 additional terrorists arrived, leaving the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza and entering Alumim. They positioned themselves near "Gan Hadar" in the kibbutz and engaged in combat against members of the alert squad. Four members of the alert squad were injured in the encounter.
At the same time, 50 additional Nohva terrorists arrived in the kibbutz area, on whom maps were later found. Battalion 890 fighters, who arrived by helicopters, and fighters from the Negev Special Operations Command engaged in heavy fighting with them.
At 09:30, another 40 terrorists arrived in the kibbutz area in four vans. Security forces fought them and blocked their entry. An hour and a quarter later, at 10:45, additional terrorists arrived and infiltrated the Alumim industrial area.
Fighters from the Shaldag unit engaged them in fierce fighting and killed 30 of them.
The investigation shows that at 11:00 AM, there were already about 300 fighters from 17 different units in the kibbutz, including Shaldag, Sayeret Matkal, Battalion 890 of the Paratrooper Brigade, and the Negev YSM. The forces faced about a hundred terrorists, and their attack was stopped. A large part of the forces that reached Alumim were supposed to continue to other places in the envelope, but encountered fighting with terrorists on Highway 232.
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The investigation concluded that 57 civilians and five security forces personnel were murdered in the kibbutz area. Five were kidnapped to Gaza and three of them have been released so far. Two of the kidnapped are still in captivity.
Only at 1:00 PM, six and a half hours after the start of the attack, did the IDF announce operational control of the incident.
The investigation determined that the Alumim readiness squad fought bravely with the terrorists in the kibbutz for many hours until IDF forces arrived. Some of the members of the readiness squad were armed with pistols.
The investigation found that until 7:04 AM, the members of the readiness squad did not know about the presence of terrorists in the kibbutz, and that the order they received from the IDF was to remain in the protected areas. It took them 18 minutes to equip themselves and enter the fighting.
Conclusions of the investigation:
• The IDF failed in its mission to protect Kibbutz Alumim.
• In the first hours, the fighting took place without IDF command and control, and the 17 forces that fought operated without order and command.
• Fighters from the "Unknown Guard" company, who were near the kibbutz, were sent to defend Nahal Oz and Kfar Gaza. The investigation determined that because of the weekend and the holiday, there were not enough fighters on standby.
