An internal Israel Defense Forces probe into the October 7, 2023, terror assault near Kibbutz Nir Am has found that the joint efforts of a locally stationed Golani Brigade company, the community’s standby squad, and arriving military and police reinforcements stopped Hamas gunmen from penetrating the kibbutz or advancing to additional targets. Cleared for publication Wednesday, the investigation credited their determined resistance with halting dozens of attackers despite fierce firefights, heavy losses and periods of chaos.

The inquiry, led by Col. (res.) Yaron Sitbon and approved by former Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, pieced together the battle from testimonies, operational logs, surveillance recordings and intelligence material.

Investigators concluded that the determined defense around Nir Am’s nearby chicken hatchery and along the kibbutz’s perimeter managed to contain one of the largest Hamas raids on October 7, even as the attackers abducted two civilians and inflicted heavy losses on Israeli forces.

At 6:29 a.m., a company commander from the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion — stationed in the area under the command of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion — spotted two drones flying over a military outpost near the border. He fired at the drones before ordering a tank to reach the outpost, while he himself drove to the southern gate of nearby Kibbutz Erez with the community’s standby squad to defend it.

At the same time, Hamas unleashed a massive rocket barrage across the western Negev. Under the cover of fire, dozens of gunmen breached the border near Nir Am using tractors, motorcycles and pickup trucks. Some crossed on foot and others by paraglider, with additional reports of infiltrations by sea from the west.

By 6:36 a.m., the tank sent by the company commander was........

© The Times of Israel