Oct. 7 probe: IDF failed mission to protect Kibbutz Erez civilians

Kibbutz Erez’s emergency standby squads had a general sense of the situation on the morning of the October 7 massacre, whereas the military struggled to create a clear, coherent picture until the afternoon, the findings of the IDF’s probe showed on Monday.

The probe said that the military “failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Erez and the civilians present in the area.”

Approximately 15-20 terrorists attempted to infiltrate the kibbutz, with at least two killed on the kibbutz itself. Six additional terrorists, who may have retreated from Erez, were killed north of the Shikma Stream bridge.

The investigation noted the valiant performances of the current and previous Kibbutz Erez security coordinators, the Kibbutz Or Haner security coordinator, the emergency standby squad members of both kibbutzim, and volunteer residents.

Further, it said that the IDF’s regional company commander, who was required to respond to multiple combat areas to reduce the scale of the infiltration into Kibbutz Erez, successfully halted the invasion into Kibbutz Nir Am, where he and his troops killed numerous terrorists.

Additionally, the IDF’s probe found that the kibbutz’s emergency standby squad was at an appropriate level of readiness, with 12 out of the 16 members storing weapons at home at the time of the attack.

It noted that the IDF’s Armored Corps’ 77th Battalion was operating in the sector during the attack, with a regional company stationed at Magen Sderot – approximately two kilometers south of the kibbutz.

The probe divided Kibbutz Erez into two main areas of inquiry, namely the Blue Gate area and the Point 29 area on the kibbutz fence.

There were three main phases that the investigative team divided into separate timelines worth paying attention to as well.

Phase 1: The attack begins (6:28 a.m. until 7:10 a.m.)

At 6:29 a.m., the Red alert sirens sounded. The kibbutz security coordinator, who was in Jerusalem for the Simchat Torah festival, checked on the whereabouts of the emergency standby squad, mobilizing it at 6:40 a.m. A former kibbutz security coordinator who was in the kibbutz at the time took over operational command on the ground, as he was present.

At 6:38 a.m., the regional company commander ordered a tank to take a controlling position between the Gaza border fence and the kibbutz. Once in position, the tank fought against the first wave of terrorists who infiltrated the area, ran over terrorist motorcycles, and disrupted their attacks. However, the tank was hit by anti-tank missile fire.

At the same time, the company commander instructed the regional standby squad to link up with him and move toward the kibbutz. The company commander entered the kibbutz and took up position near the Avocado Gate on the south side of the kibbutz.

Later, he traveled with the standby squad toward Kibbutz Nir Am due to repeated reports of terrorist infiltrations there. He made this decision after gaining knowledge of the tank’s engagement with terrorists, ordering the tank to relocate toward Kibbutz Nir Am.

By 6:48 a.m., the former security coordinator had ordered and assigned squad members to their positions, while kibbutz and emergency teams began operating.

At approximately 7:05 a.m., members of the emergency standby squad and other kibbutz residents located near the kibbutz’s Palmah memorial in the west of Kibbutz Erez spotted suspicious pickup trucks moving toward the kibbutz’s Blue Gate on the northwest side of the kibbutz. They fired at the trucks after the former security coordinator confirmed that they were driven by terrorists.

Simultaneously, the former security coordinator ordered all squad members to center around the Blue Gate and focus on defending the kibbutz and conducting counterattacks.

The probe found that this enabled the emergency standby squad to halt terrorist attacks on the kibbutz effectively.

In the following minutes, the terrorists continued to head toward the Blue Gate. Upon arrival, they dismounted from the pickup trucks and positioned themselves in four clusters, exchanging fire with security forces, leading to a state of significant fighting.

Phase 2: The fighting in Kibbutz Erez (7:10 a.m. until approximately 10:00 a.m.)

At approximately 7:40 a.m., another squad member was wounded and evacuated for initial medical treatment.

Shortly afterwards, Hamas terrorists fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at one of the residences near the Blue Gate.

At around 7:45 a.m., a reservist IDF major who was a member of the squad, 27-year-old Amir Naim, was killed while fighting in the yard of one of the houses. Naim was evacuated to a nearby house but later succumbed to his injuries.

The kibbutz security coordinator, on his way from Jerusalem to Kibbutz Erez, requested assistance from the Kibbutz Or Haner security coordinator, who sent a reinforcement group initially comprised of the Or Haner emergency standby squad, and later, of its residents.

The first reinforcement group arrived at the kibbutz at approximately 8:00 a.m. Meanwhile, some members of the Kibbutz Erez standby squad were besieged in a concrete shelter at the Blue Gate under terrorist fire, with their ammunition running out.

They requested urgent assistance after one person was wounded. Two kibbutz residents arrived at the operations center and secured it using their personal weapons.

The security coordinator and three additional Kibbutz Or Haner residents arrived at the kibbutz at approximately 8:15 a.m.

As for the previous security coordinator who had been effectively in command, they conducted a situation assessment upon the arrival of the other four.

At approximately 8:45 a.m., the rescue squad split into pairs and advanced toward the Blue Gate. As they were advancing, they identified some terrorist movement heading east, parallel to the kibbutz fence, and reported this over radio comms.

The kibbutz security coordinator launched a drone from the operations center and identified the terrorists moving toward Point 29 of the kibbutz fence.

At around the same time, additional reinforcements from Or Haner joined those positioned at the Blue Gate.

Then, at approximately 9:00 a.m., standby squad members were rescued under fire after their comrades laid down covering fire, enabling the squad members to exit their concrete position safely.

Afterward, the terrorists fired an RPG at the entrance to a nearby house, resulting in injuries to squad members and residents. The squad members and residents deployed inside and outside the house to deliver another round of suppressive fire, enabling a family trapped inside to be rescued, while squad members were fighting their way toward the kibbutz’s operations center.

Throughout this period, standby squad members and kibbutz residents who were posted at the operations center arrived at Point 29 to deploy against the terrorists.

A firefight broke out at Point 29 with terrorists managing to breach the fence after planting an explosive device, which blew a gap in the fence. The kibbutz security coordinator announced the breach, but the terrorists immediately retreated due to the intense combat taking place.

Phase 3: Searching and clearing the kibbutz (10:00 a.m. until 8 p.m.)

At approximately 10:45 a.m., they were joined by a small force from the IDF’s Paratroopers Brigade, led by the brigade commander. They were later reinforced by the IDF’s regional battalion commander and the commander of the IDF’s 77th Battalion.

After a discussion in the kibbutz operations center, a squad of paratroopers remained in the kibbutz. Concurrently, the rest continued to other combat sites at the order of the regional battalion commander.

At approximately 1:00 p.m., Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) instructors arrived at Kibbutz Erez and joined the search efforts.

When it came to 8:00 p.m., forces from the IDF’s Multidimensional Unit (the Refaim 888 Unit) and 202nd Battalion arrived to reinforce Kibbutz Erez.