Kan 7.10.360: The story of Kibbutz Gevim on October 7th

When the Red Color alerts are heard in the kibbutz, the residents of Gevim enter the safe rooms. During the alarms, the Ravshatz (Military Ongoing Security Coordinator), Ziv Aviv, patrols in his vehicle along the perimeter fence of the kibbutz. He checks whether rockets have fallen on the kibbutz and makes sure the kibbutz gates are closed.

At the end of the patrol of the kibbutz, Ziv the Ravhshatz stands with his vehicle near the fence. He calls his deputy, Amir Ashkenazi, and updates him that the situation in the area appears to be more complex than in previous rounds of rocket shooting. Amir writes things in this vein in the WhatsApp group of the security squad and urges the four classmates who hold weapons in their home to prepare for fighting. A member of the security squad, Ohad Chernis, calls Ziv and the two arrange to meet at the gate .

In the minutes following the start of the attack, Masad Armilat, who works at the gas station next to Gevim, sees a group of cyclists and several wounded people shot in their car near the station - a total of 11 civilians. He leads them into a safe room inside the station's convenience store. Shortly afterward, eight terrorists arrive in a van at the station and try unsuccessfully to break through the door of the convenience store.

A force of about five terrorists arrives in a van and stands near the entrance gate to the kibbutz. The terrorists get off the van and spot the kibbutz's resident, Major Pini Dadon, who serves in the Home Front Command who is heading to the gate in a vehicle to go out and assist in the fighting in the area. They shoot him and hit his hand and head. The vehicle slides towards one of the houses in the kibbutz. A resident of the kibbutz who notices the car leaves and takes Pini to her home

The terrorists notice the Ravshatz and fire several rounds at his vehicle. Ziv gets out of the vehicle and returns fire. During the exchange of gunfire, which lasted about five minutes, Ziv was hit by three bullets in his right leg. A member of the security squad, Ohad Chernis, hears the exchange of fire, arrives at the gate in his vehicle, and is also hit by the terrorists' fire. Ohad flees to a nearby shelter but the terrorists throw a grenade at him and he is forced to retreat. Another kibbutz resident, Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Gil Schwarzman, hears the echoes of gunfire. He calls Ziv, realizes he is wounded and gets ready for fighting. At the end of the battle, the terrorists leave the kibbutz. Ziv calls his deputy, Amir Ashkenazi, and asks for urgent assistance

Amir reaches Ziv and leads him to a nearby barricade to attend to him, then dispatchesthe members of the securitysquad. Gil Schwartzman and a member of the emergency squad, Yishai Luz, provide him with initial treatment. Gil calls rescue forces to evacuate Ziv to a hospital but is told they do not have permission to move throughout the sector with unprotected ambulances.

Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Gil Schwartzman takes up arms and accepts responsibility for securing the kibbutz. He takes care of arming the members of the emergency squad, eight 16-members, with additional weapons from the kibbutz's arsenal. Members of the alert squad disperse at various points to secure the kibbutz and prevent terrorists from infiltrating.

The members of the security squad realize that it will take time for a rescue force to arrive and lead Ziv on a scooter to the house where the injured Fini Dadon is located, along with a kibbutz member who is a paramedic. Later in the morning, it became clear that a resident of the kibbutz, Meir Hanukah, was also wounded by the terrorists' gunfire. Meir went out in the morning to pick up his dog, who had run away during the alarms, and when he returned - he was shot at a back intersection. Meir was treated in his home by a kibbutz nurse.

A force of about seven fighters from the Golani Brigade arrives at the kibbutz. They ask the members of the security squad to direct them to Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Members of the security squad, Amir Ashkenazi and Nimrod Snapir, depart from the kibbutz to direct the fighters. When they are in the fields, in front of the gas station next to the kibbutz, Amir and Nimrod spot a white van in which a terrorist is seen. The soldiers, along with another military force that was there, fire at the terrorist, killing him. Amir and Nimrod return to the Kibbutz.

A member of the kibbutz, Officer Emmanuel Elmakias, contacts the security squad at the kibbutz and informs its members that there is an armored evacuation vehicle in Sderot. The seucirty squad evacuates Pini Dadon and Ravshatz Ziv Aviv to Sderot. From there, Emmanuel leads the wounded to a rescue forces' vehicle, waiting just north of Sderot, in Moshav Kokhav Michael. Soon Ziv is evacuated to Asuta Hospital in Ashdod and Pini is evacuated to Tel HaShomer.

The 11 citizens and the station worker, Masad Armilat, who have been staying since morning in the sheltered space of the convenience store at the gas station, contact the security squad at Gevim, who rescue them and lead them to the kibbutz.

Members of the security squad and a force from the Maglan unit located in the area detect suspicious movement of figures near the kibbutz. At the same time, a Border Police intervention force was present at the entrance to the kibbutz and preparing for action. A Border Police force charges the suspects, killing three. Throughout the evening, the security squad continues to secure the kibbutz and make sure that no more terrorists infiltrate it.