An internal IDF probe released on Wednesday concluded that the IDF failed to protect the Yechini area during the October 7 massacre in which forces from the Israel Police, Border Police, Police Counterterrorism Unit, IDF, and additional civilians engaged in combat against Hamas terrorists.

The civilians fought alongside security forces with professionalism, courage, and self-sacrifice to kill all eight terrorists who infiltrated the area.

The same terrorists who killed six civilians and two soldiers in Yechini continued on to carry out a killing spree on Highway 34 nearby, resulting in the deaths of an additional nine citizens, as well as an IDF soldier and a firefighter.

The findings describe a series of failures in preparedness, communication, and defense measures that contributed to the base’s vulnerability. The report outlined the sequence of events that allowed the infiltration to occur and documented the military’s response throughout the assault.

Yechini is situated along Highway 34, connecting the cities of Sderot and Netivot, and defending it falls under the jurisdiction Gaza Division's Northern Brigade.

''The event centers in the battle on the road near the settlement of Yechini (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
''The event centers in the battle on the road near the settlement of Yechini (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
On the evening of October 6, the area was under the responsibility of the IDF's 77th Battalion, with the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion stationed about 10 km. north, at the “Berek” outpost.

The timeline provided in the report begins at 6:29 a.m. with the launch of a large-scale rocket barrage on southern Israel. Simultaneously, a cell of Hamas terrorists advanced toward the Yechini area.

All eight terrorists were eliminated within three hours

At 06:38, the first wave of Hamas infiltrators began, with terrorists entering from several points around the Gaza Envelope. At 07:05, the second wave of terrorists infiltrated, including the same terrorist cell consisting of eight members, which entered Israel by vehicle. 

At approximately 07:21, the terrorist cell passed the Sha'ar HaNegev junction and turned south on Highway 34. They reached the "Gavim" junction and turned toward the gas station. At the gas station, the terrorists tried and failed to break into the building, where ten civilians were sheltered inside.

By 07:24, the Hamas terrorist reached the main entrance of Kibbutz Gavim, finding the gate locked. This led to a fight breaking out with regional security and a resident, who engaged in a gunfight with the terrorists through the gate, stopping them from breaching the kibbutz.

The two were injured in the fight, along with an additional officer, and the terrorists retreated from the Kibbutz back towards Gavim junction.

''The event centers in the battle in the settlement of Yechini (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
''The event centers in the battle in the settlement of Yechini (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
At approximately 07:28, the terrorists turned south at Gavim junction, traveling against the flow of traffic toward Yechini. The cell murdered eight civilians along the way: Liam Sharam, Yehonatan Zaidman, Ilay Baram, Dr. Michael Morzhanov, Loretta Alkara, Liu Zeigu, Liu Jiana, and Deputy Shift Commander at the Be'er Sheva Fire Station, Res. R Roi Moshe.

At 07:37, three civilians fleeing the Nova music festival arrived at the locked gate Yechini and, with the help of two residents, entered a bomb shelter near the main gate. Two minutes later, the eight Hamas terrorists arrived at the gate, abandoned their car, and entered on foot through the unlocked pedestrian gate. 

Residents of the area fled, but the three civilians who had escaped the Nova festival were captured and held in the bomb shelter by the terrorists.

At 7:40, the terrorist cell split into two groups. Three terrorists stayed near the main gate, while the remaining five took a civilian with them as they began a killing spree along Yechini’s main road.

At approximately 07:41, one of the three terrorists staying by the gate attempted to abduct two civilians towards a pickup truck outside the gate. However, two separate Border Police vehicles had arrived to the area, one with the commander of the "Shahar" unit and the other with a team of four Border Police patrol fighters who were on their way to join their unit.

The officers opened fire on the terrorists, allowing the civilians to escape abduction and hide in the trunk of their vehicle. The unit commander and a civilian were injured during the gunfight.

At approximately 07:42, a platoon commander in the Givati Brigade who lived in Yechini heard shouting and drove toward the center of the community to warn those in the synagogues. The officer warned people in the area, directing them to shelter in their homes.

At 07:43, a platoon commander from the "Maglan" unit, who was on study leave and on his way to the unit, saw vehicles at the main gate and embedded with the Border Police commander and a Border Police patrol fighter. The three entered Yechini together to fight the terrorists, identified civilians, and helped them escape.

While the three entered through a nearby agricultural gate and advanced via the first farm, three additional Border Police patrol fighters remained to treat the wounded and block the entrance.

Between 07:44 and 07:52, the group of five terrorists carried out a killing spree, including shooting at residents' houses and throwing grenades. The cell murdered Ilan Avraham, who refused to serve as a spokesperson for the terrorists. The group also killed Yizhar Hagebi in front of his house and killed Elitzur Hagebi during his attempt to flee from the terrorists.

At 07:47, the Border Police commander, the Maglan platoon commander, and a Border Police patrol fighter continued advancing into the settlement. The terrorists opened fire on them, and the unit commander shot and hit one of the terrorists while being injured himself. The platoon commander and the patrol fighter managed to enter a private yard on the opposite side of the street.

The platoon commander then identified the three terrorists who had been at the community’s entrance, and managed to shoot two of them, getting hit by an additional terrorist in the process. He and the Border Police fighter evacuated with the assistance of two residents, and the group entered a nearby house where he received first aid.

Meanwhile, a member of the community’s emergency response team carrying a handgun joined the Givati Platoon Commander, and the two drove towards the entrance, intending to engage the terrorists.

The two were spotted, and the officer was injured as a result of heavy fire from the terrorists. The vehicle was damaged as well, and the two returned to continue warning residents to shelter, before entering residents' homes to assist in protecting them.

Around 07:54, the logistics officer of the Givati Brigade who lived in the community, Lieutenant-Colonel Plag Salem, encountered the terrorists attempting to break into a family's house after he had stepped out to investigate the gunfire. He charged at them and opened fire from close range. The terrorists returned fire, and he was killed on the spot.

At 08:01, several terrorists seized a civilian’s vehicle, and began moving quickly toward the regional security coordinator’s house in the northern part of the community. The terrorists opened fire on the house, throwing grenades. From the gunfire, the security coordinator’s nephew, Yehonatan Hagebi, was critically injured while on the porch. He passed away about three hours later due to a lack of medical or military assistance.

At 08:04, after failing to break into the house, the terrorist group returned to their vehicle and fled the area through the northern fields.

The terrorists set up an ambush along Highway 34, between Yechini and Kibbutz Gavim.

Around 08:09, a force led by the Border Police "Rotem" unit commander, who was on his way to Sderot, passed through the ambush. The group was joined by the Deputy Platoon Commander of the Police Counterterrorism Unit, and they all left their vehicle to move on foot northward to identify terrorists in the area of the road, unaware of the ambush.

Around 08:11, two civilians who had fled from the "Nova" party, Sheni Amin and Adam Aliev, approached the ambush. The terrorists shot at them and killed them on the spot.

Around 08:14, IDF soldier Sergeant Amit Guetta from the Maglan unit, saw the ambush while on his way to join his unit. He performed a U-turn toward the ambush, and the terrorists opened fire on him as he was turning, severely wounding him.With his remaining strength, he continued driving towards Yechini until he stopped near a guardrail and died.

Sergeant Guetta’s act forced the terrorists out of their ambush, and they headed toward a nearby police vehicle. The terrorists managed to evade Border Police fighters’ fire and took control of the vehicle, which had been left running, and drove toward Yechini against the flow of traffic.

The Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit stopped a civilian vehicle, and together they started pursuing the terrorists. Meanwhile, a force of detectives from the Southern District's Central Unit was positioned near the entrance to Yechini, and exchanged gunfire with the terrorists, who stopped and disembarked the vehicle.

When the Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit, caught up to the terrorists, he charged and managed to kill three of the five members in the group.

A civilian and the police detectives present at the scene also opened fire on the terrorist cell, and a Border Police patrol fighter was injured. 

At approximately 08:19, the two remaining terrorists took over a security vehicle that had been left running and began driving towards Netivot. The detectives reported the hijacked vehicle moving south on Highway 34 with its trunk open. Police from Netivot set up roadblocks at the Sa'ad Junction and the "Mazleg" Junction, near the city of Netivot, after receiving the radio report.

Meanwhile, police officers, Border Police fighters, and security guards from the "Ofeq" security unit of Netivot prepared for the terrorists' arrival.

At approximately 08:28, when the terrorists approached Netivot, the forces opened fire, likely injuring the terrorist in the passenger seat. 

The "Yoav" unit commander, along with the security vehicle from the Netivot security unit and two security guards from the "Ofeq" unit, began pursuing the terrorists. While driving, the "Yoav" unit commander hit the terrorists' vehicle, causing it to stop.

At approximately 08:19, after the Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit successfully killed three terrorists near the entrance of Yechini, he joined the detective force in the area of the junction. He took ammunition and a rifle from them, and together they neutralized the terrorists.

At approximately 08:29, the Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit entered the community with an officer from the police air unit, whom he met at the gate. The two joined an IDF General Staff Reconnaissance Unit team that had surrounded a house where a terrorist had barricaded himself. A senior officer from the "Rotem" unit of the Givati Brigade had independently joined the unit as well.

At approximately 08:32, the Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit joined the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit unit commander in the farm area. There, he pushed the team to advance through the farm, with forces covering them on the roof.

They crossed the main street and positioned themselves near a house, preparing for a rapid entry into the house where the terrorist was.

At approximately 08:41, during the team's advancement toward the house, additional terrorists opened fire from a nearby olive grove and from under a nearby mobile structure, wounding the Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit and a fighter from the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit.

At approximately 08:45, the team evacuated the wounded and provided first aid while continuing to prepare to break into the house. The Deputy Platoon Commander from the Police Counterterrorism Unit was evacuated with the help of a police air unit officer and an officer from the "Settlements" branch.

While searching the house, four women were found hiding in the protected room, and the team took the wounded into the house for medical treatment.

At approximately 08:51, the first team from the Border Police's "Rotem" unit entered the community, leaving several fighters to treat wounded on the road. The team joined the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit team near the house they had entered, along with five fighters from the IDF’s South YSM unit.

At approximately 09:10, the "Rotem" unit commander and another team joined the fighting, and the unit commander deployed forces around the olive grove to close in on the terrorists in the area.

At approximately 09:17, two Police Counterterrorism Unit officers arrived in their armored vehicle and began assisting the unit commander in managing the battle. 

They drove into the grove with their armored vehicle in an attempt to force the terrorists to reveal their position, but fire from the terrorists disabled the vehicle. The fighters left the vehicle and identified one of the terrorists, striking him.

At approximately 09:25, four Nirim residents arrived to assist in the fighting with three long weapons. The group was initially identified as terrorists, and the Border Police fired upon them. Once recognised as security forces, they joined the others. 

At approximately 09:40, additional forces arrived to help close off the olive grove, including a General Staff Reconnaissance Unit rescue team, commanded by an officer from the unit, as well as a reservist general who had come from home.

At approximately 09:50, after a civilian operating a drone assisted forces in locating the two terrorists remaining in the grove, the teams opened fire. Led by the Police Counterterrorism Unit and the unit commander, the two terrorists were found and killed.

At approximately 10:17, the "Rotem" unit commander conducted a brief situation assessment and instructed his fighters to search houses in the area to confirm there were no additional terrorists.

At approximately 10:40, while conducting the search, a pair of soldiers entered a mobile structure, and a terrorist hiding inside opened fire on them.

Police Counterterrorism Unit officers broke into the mobile structure and, after an encounter with the terrorist hiding in a room, he was killed.

During the exchange of fire, Border Police Sergeant Haneh Asayag was injured and killed. The soldier with her exited the structure and reported her injury. Police Counterterrorism Unit officers broke into the mobile structure and, after an encounter with the terrorist hiding in a room, he was neutralized.

Forces remained present in the area for a week after Oct. 7

By 12:00 on October 7, the "Rotem" unit continued searching for additional terrorists in Yechini, and then all forces with the unit continued fighting in the area of the city of Ofakim.

Around 17:00, the commander of the IDF's 52nd Battalion arrived and deployed his companies throughout the area, conducting searches and providing defense until Sunday, October 8, while assisting residents in returning to their homes. 

Around 15:00 on October 8, forces from the 9207th Battalion arrived to clear the community, took up central defense positions, and assisted the residents

The forces did not encounter additional terrorists, instead focusing heavily on assisting the population, cooperating with the residents in coordinating the evacuation, which began on Tuesday, October 10.

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the forces were replaced by Home Front Command forces from the "Daniel" Brigade.

The investigation presented a number of recommendations aimed at addressing the failures identified. The most pressing failures included the fact that a majority of the local security forces lacked the training or equipment required to handle a terrorist infiltration.

The strategic importance of Yechini was also addressed, as its location near major highways and in the central region between cities like Sderot and Netivot necessitates a tailored security approach.