Kan 7.10.360 | The story of Kibbutz Alumim on October 7

A barrage of missiles awakens the residents of Kibbutz Alumim. A few minutes later, a rocket hits the vicinity of the kibbutz's avocado groves. At 06:52, the Ravshatz (Military Ongoing Security Coordinator), Eyal Rhein, receives an order from the Gaza Division's Northern Brigade to prepare the security squad for the scenario of a rousting. That morning, there were 12 members in the security squad and three fighters who were in the kibbutz.

Ten terrorists, mounted on top of four motorcycles, break through the back gate of the kibbutz and infiltrate it. They pass through the barn and throw two grenades at a shelter where Nepalese students who lived nearby were hiding. At the same time, terrorists shoot into the milking parlor and into the foreign workers' quarters that are nearby. Two of the Nepalese students are killed and five are injured.

The terrorists cross the kibbutz, reach the front gate and exit through it to the main road - Route 232. There, armed with guns, missiles and grenades, they injure and murder cyclists and young men who fled the Nova party in Reim and passed by the road or hid in the shelter close to the kibbutz. A small force of Golani kills one terrorist and a policeman wounds another terrorist. Ten minutes later the terrorists leave the front gate and exit the kibbutz through the back gate.

After arming themselves and taking personal equipment, 12 members of the security squad and three other fighters staying in the kibbutz leave the armory, divide into pairs, and go for scans on the perimeter of the kibbutz. They do not know how many terrorists have infiltrated and where, and they communicate with each other using only mobile phones. At the same time, three men from the Community Resilience Team arrive at the situation room of the settlement.

A couple who managed to escape the massacre at the Nova party, Ofek Aton and Tamar Kam, also manage to escape from the shelter near the kibbutz and enter it to seek shelter. The two arrive at one of the houses close to the gate, knock on the door, and not getting an answer, go inside through a window. The couple who live in the house, together with all the members of Alumim, received messages about the presence of terrorists in the kibbutz and that no one should be allowed in. They are probably afraid that they are terrorists and report the situation room. The security squad arrives at the family home and, mistakenly believing they are terrorists, accidentally shoots them. Ofek is killed, and Tamar is wounded in the abdomen.

About 30 terrorists break through the kibbutz fence in the area of the Jojoba plantations. A member of the security squad, Amichai Shaham, who was in the Thai workers' quarters, responds first to the incident. He fires at them, runs towards his house, which is in the first line of houses, and is wounded. Other security squad members return fire and rescue Amichai to the home of Michaela Kurtsky, the kibbutz nurse, who is giving him medical treatment.

In an attempt to reach the line of houses, the terrorists flank the pool area and the “Hadar Garden,” named after Hadar Goldin. They wound two of the security squad members, Eyal Jung and Eran Schlissel, with the latter continuing to fight after he dresses his wounds with improvised bandages. Under incessant gunfire, two members of the security squad - Nitai Nahatomi and Prof. Eitan Okun - protect Jung, who is seriously wounded. After they kill several of the terrorists and block them, they manage to evacuate Jung to the home of the kibbutz nurse's house, as well.

Parallel to the fighting inside the kibbutz, a battle is underway near its front gate, on route 232, between police forces and dozens of terrorists. During these battles, policeman Ran Gvili is killed, and his body is abducted to Gaza. Two brothers from Beer Sheva, Noam, and Yishai Slutki, who came on their initiative to Alumim to help in the fighting, are also killed at the same spot.

The battles in the “Hadar Garden” are renewed. At the same time, terrorists massacre anyone in their path in the cowshed area and murder twelve foreign workers from Thailand and eight agriculture students from Nepal. Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese student, and Purnaswan Finkelo of Thailand are abducted to Gaza.

An Israel Border Police force arrives at the entrance to the kibbutz aboard a "Zeev" armored vehicle. The fighters drive to the cowshed area, absorb heavy gunfire and retreat to the entrance. At 10:54, terrorists move towards the packing houses and shoot in their direction. A fire breaks out in the straw warehouses, the food center and the agricultural container shed. At 11:06, a terrorist armed with an RPG arrives at the parking lot of the kibbutz garage and tries to enter one of the vehicles. The situation room personnel recognize him on the security cameras and send two members of the security squad to the spot. The two spot the terrorist, shoot at him and wound him. The terrorist flees. At around 11:30, while the security squad members spread out in the farmlands, they are joined by a force of the Masada Unit, a special take-over unit of the Prison Service, which comes from the avocado plantation area. Force fighters scan the cowshed area and hit more terrorists.

Two helicopters landing in a field east of the kibbutz, between the kibbutz and the moshav Kfar-Maimon. A large force from the 890th Regiment of Paratroopers disembarks from the helicopters and immediately joins the fighting against the terrorists. During the landing, one of the helicopters is hit by gunfire, and after the paratroopers and crew are rescued from it, it explodes.

A force from the Shaldag unit that is on its way to Kibbutz Beeri stops at the entrance junction to the kibbutz. Using a drone, the force spots the terrorists in the packing house and attacks them. During the battle, Chief Warrant Officer Ido (Crido) Rosenthal is killed.

A force from the Yahalom unit enters the kibbutz and connects to the security squad. At 13:00 the situation room personnel identify on the security cameras three terrorists jumping over the gate next to the avocado plantation and inform the security squad. The terrorists manage to infiltrate in one of the houses - the house of the Meller family. They break the glass door on the balcony, shoot into the house and wound Benny Meller in the stomach. The forces arrive at the home of the Meller family and kill two terrorists. The commander of the Yahalom team, Capt. Itay Cohen, is killed. Benny Meller is evacuated to a hospital along with security squad member Eran Schlissel, who was injured three hours earlier.

Along with additional reinforcements of two companies from the 890th Battalion of the Paratroopers, the various forces are carrying out a situation assessment. They divide into sections and begin to perform orderly scans in the kibbutz, house by house, until the evening hours. The members of the security squad are divided among the forces to mediate between the military and the residents. During the hours of fighting, troops from the Sayeret Matkal and the Oketz unit join the defense of the kibbutz.

Only on the morning of October 8th can residents evacuate from the kibbutz. First, guests who stayed in the kibbutz during the Sabbath evacuate in their private vehicles. At 14:30, residents are evacuated to Netanya on four buses. The kibbutz coordinator and the deputy chairman of the Community Resilience Team, along with several members of the security squad and the paratroopers, remain to protect the kibbutz.