The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday released the findings of a military investigation into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on the Gaza Strip, which determined that the first soldiers arrived at least 40 minutes after all the Islamic militants had left.
According to a military chronology, the Palestinian terrorist attack began around 6.49:12 a.m. and lasted until 30:13 p.m., and the first security forces arrived at the kibbutz only at 10:XNUMX p.m. By then, the attackers were gone, and more than five and a half hours of carnage and clashes with rapid response forces made up of local residents had passed.
A total of 41 kibbutz residents were killed in the attack and 76 were kidnapped, 14 of whom remain in Gaza.
According to the investigation, between 100 and 130 Hamas terrorists initially stormed the kibbutz, which increased by 10 a.m. to between 300 and 400 from various factions, who killed and kidnapped a quarter of the residents of this border community.
The Hamas attack surprised Israel during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, a day when many soldiers were off duty and with their families. The attackers invaded more than 20 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including during the Nova festival, shooting and killing civilians and soldiers in a climate of terror.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article