Kan 7.10.360: The Story of Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7th

Nir Am and the surrounding communities wake up in the morning of Simchat Torah to the sound of incessant alarms. That morning, Company A of the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade occupies outpost K2 on the border of the Gaza Strip, in the vicinity of Nir Am. Because of the weekend and holiday, the company has a limited force of about 40 fighters. As the rocket barrage begins, the company commander, Yoni Cohen, who is positioned in a lookout post, spots two drones flying above him, shoots and hits them. He then orders some of the standby forces at the post to leave and protect two kibbutzim in the sector - Erez and Nir Am. For the latter, he sets out on his own along with two vehicles - a Savannah and a 'David' armored Jeep

Deputy Ravshatz (Military Ongoing Security Coordinator) updates via the security squad's WhatsApp group that there are terrorists in Sderot and that the squad members must be prepared. The Ravshatz, Inbal Lieberman, asks them to get to the armory. Golani's two vehicles arrive at the kibbutz gate, drive towards the fields, and suddenly spot dozens of terrorists in front of them who open fire from a range of a few meters. They manage to pass them by driving at full speed, parking the two vehicles in a way that blocks the terrorists' vans and motorcycles, and exiting them to fight. They hear gunfire and explosions from the direction of the hatchery within a few minutes, realizing that the terrorists are positioned about two hundred meters from the kibbutz.

About 11 kibbutz members, including members of the security squad, arrive at the armory. Earlier, the electricity had been cut off in the kibbutz, so they regroup in the dark - taking weapons, ammunition, and walkie-talkies. They divide into pairs, take up positions in the different corners of the kibbutz, and close the agricultural gates that remain open. Inbal, the Ravshatz, runs into the infrastructure manager on his way to connect the kibbutz to the generator. She instructs him not to do so, thinking that if the gates of the kibbutz remain locked, no terrorists will be able to enter.

The six hatchery workers hear the terrorists' gunfire, and some hide. One of the workers, Samer Fouad al-Talalka, from the village of Hura, calls the manager of the hatchery and goes to check the source of the shooting. Contact with him and another employee, Solin Xingong of Thailand, was lost. A short time later, pictures of them in Gaza are posted online. Later, it will be revealed that Samer was taken to Gaza by the terrorists in his vehicle while Solin was abducted on a motorcycle. Two months later, Samer was accidentally killed by IDF fire, and Solin was released and returned to Thailand.

The Golani force, which fought the terrorists in the kibbutz fields from a range of about 30 meters, is joined by a Namer-type APC. More terrorists arrive in the area, and the Golani force opens fire at them, managing to hit some of them. At the same time, some of the terrorists entered the military savannah with which some of the fighters had arrived and remained empty, ambushing the soldiers in it. Meanwhile, an order is received for the Namer to leave for the Erez crossing and to replace him, and a tank arrives on the scene, which the fighters use as a buffer to approach the terrorists and kill them. Due to the exchange of fire, the APC could not leave the battlefield.

The Golani force receives notice of terrorists marching toward the kibbutz. The fighters carry out a scan and notice suspicious movement in the bushes, and fire opens at them. The force manages to kill two terrorists, and two others flee towards the kibbutz. One of them is killed about 50 meters from the kibbutz gate, and the other approaches the fence and is shot by a member of the security squad. The terrorist runs towards the kibbutz's avocado orchard, and the fighters storm towards him. At the same time, the Namer fighters identify other terrorists and fight them. The commander of the Namer is injured, and the force medic gives him initial treatment and ensures he is evacuated.

A red transit vehicle arrives at the hatchery, and many terrorists come out of it. An RPG is fired at the Namer, which has been under fire for several hours, and its systems crash. The fighters in the Namer fire their firearms at the terrorists until a grenade is thrown into the APC. Sergeant Matan Abergil lays down on it to protect his comrades and is killed on the spot. His six friends are saved.

The Golani force is starting to run out of ammunition. The security squad did not have much ammunition to begin with. A member of the securitys quad calls the police and asks them to send backup quickly. At the same time, the tank that arrived in the area runs over the savannah where terrorists were hiding.

Commander of the The Border Police Tactical Unit, Subchief Yaron Dahan, hears through the Police Radio that there are terrorists near Nir Am. Dahan and seven fighters enter the kibbutz through the main entrance gate, driving along the fence until they detect the shooting in the hatchery. They reach the west gate, but it is locked. The force unloads from the vehicle, exits the pedestrian gate, and begins to advance towards the hatchery. At some point, the unit's vehicles break through the kibbutz fence and drive towards the hatchery. In the open space between the hatchery and the gate, the fighters conduct a battle with the terrorists, during which four Border Police fighters are wounded.

Dozens of fighters of the Border Police Tactical Unit arrive at the kibbutz. Some join the members of the security squad in positions around the kibbutz, and some join the Golani force and fight in the hatchery area. During the battle, a terrorist shoots from the second floor of the hatchery at a Border Police fighter, Sergeant Major Roman Gendel, and he is killed. At the same time, the wounded are gradually evacuated - four wounded from the Border Police force and six from Golani, as well as the body of Sergeant Matan Abergil. The wounded are evacuated to the West Gate and from there to the Barzilai Hospital.

A Border Police "Rakia" unit launches a drone into the air to hit the terrorists still alive. They track down 18 terrorists escaping from the hatchery towards Gaza. With the assistance of a fighter helicopter and a Zik UAV, the terrorists are shot and killed. About 40 dead terrorists were found in the hatchery itself. Most of the The Tactical Unit's force leaves the kibbutz to fight in other areas, while Golani's force stays there until nightfall. Security squad members continue sweeping the kibbutz for terrorists.

In the orchards adjacent to the kibbutz hide about ten Palestinian laborers. They had made their way to work in the kibbutz In the morning and were shot by terrorists. Three of them were injured. Next to them drives another vehicle of workers who were killed by terrorist gunfire. Later in the day, the ten workers from the first vehicle, who have residence permits and are renting apartments in Rahat, call the kibbutz's field crops manager to ask for help. Around 17:00, some of the members of the security squad, accompanied by a force of Police Border soldiers, go out to rescue them. They pass them through a security check and bring them to one of the houses in the kibbutz. While doing so, a Red Color alarm is heard in Nir Am and everyone hurries to a safe room. Later in the evening, a civilian from Rahat arrives to pick them up, and they return to Gaza.

Shots are fired out from the hatchery toward the Namer parked near the kibbutz gate. Soldiers from Golani's 12th battalion storm the terrorists. At 21:30, while some residents evacuate independently, Red Color alerts are heard. One of the rockets lands near a security squad member who manages to take cover. Members of the security squad, along with a military force, remain to guard the kibbutz. At 02:00, a bus arrives and evacuates senior residents and nursing residents. An hour later, an order is given that all residents must evacuate.

The manager of the hatchery arrives in the morning to look for his workers. Next to the gate stands a wounded terrorist. The manager runs to his vehicle and updates the soldiers who handle the situation. Over the next two days, IDF forces continue to catch terrorists in the fields near Nir Am.