The IDF failed in its mission to protect Kibbutz Sufa during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion due to a collapse in command and control, a lack of preparedness, and delayed reinforcements, according to an Israel Defense Forces probe published Monday.

The report, which was presented to the families of the fallen and the kibbutz community, credited the bravery of local security personnel, Nahal Brigade troops, and elite units with preventing an even greater catastrophe.

The probe, led by Paran Regional Brigade commander Col. Shemer Raviv and approved by former Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, outlined how nearly 50 Hamas terrorists attacked the kibbutz, murdering three people — two members of the kibbutz’s standby security squad and one civilian resident — and causing widespread destruction before they were repelled.

The nearly year-long investigation, aimed at reconstructing the full scope of what unfolded in the Gaza-border community on October 7, concluded that “the IDF failed in its mission to defend Kibbutz Sufa.” Its findings were based on interviews with eyewitnesses, surveillance footage from the scene, videos taken by civilians and terrorists, and interrogations of captured Hamas operatives.

The probe also detailed how local security team members, of which there were only a handful, and limited military reinforcements, fought back under extreme pressure, killing dozens of terrorists and stopping what could have become a larger-scale massacre, despite what investigators described as “challenging initial conditions and numerical inferiority.”

The assault on Kibbutz Sufa began at 6:29 a.m., as Hamas launched its coordinated rocket barrage across southern Israel. Within minutes, intelligence and surveillance units detected large-scale infiltrations by terrorists, including near the kibbutz and its adjacent military outpost.

Just 12 minutes later, at 6:41 a.m., a tank from the IDF’s “Sufa” company, positioned near the security fence, identified approaching Hamas gunmen — many riding........

© The Times of Israel