Kan 7.10.360 | The story of the Shlomit security squad on October 7

Shabbat Simchat Torah begins with prayers and preparations for celebrations until red color alarms begin and a sequence of explosions is heard in the communal-religious settlement. Benny Meshulam, the local Ravshatz, realizes that this is an unusual event and turns on his mobile phone to understand what is happening

Benny the Ravshatz (Military Ongoing Security Coordinator) informs the WhatsApp group of the security squad of the activation code “Night Knight III.” It means the settlement has been penetrated, and all forces are called out to fight: “Everyone on their feet. I am informed on WhatsApp as to who is here and who is not here. Good morning, Happy Festival".

Members of the security squad carry out patrols in the village. Missiles hit two houses in Shlomit, causing damage but no casualties. Benny, the Ravshatz, receives reports of terrorist infiltration into nearby kibbutzim. Among the reports is a report by the Ravshatz of Hevel Shalom, Lotem Nagar, about terrorists in the nearby Moshav Pri Gan. At the time of the report, Lotem, along with policeman Avi Sidon and special forces fighter M., are involved in a battle against terrorists armed with grenades, RPGs, and Kalashnikovs. The terrorists wound M., and when Lotam sets out to rescue him, the terrorists surround the policeman Avi Sidon and shoot him dead.

Oz Sason, Boaz Biran, and Benny Meshulam head towards Pri Gan, while Reuven Chicheportiche stays to command the other members of the Shlomit security Squad, who continue the patrols in the settlement. The three members of the Security Squad enter Moshav Pri Gan through the main gate. At the end of the street are ten terrorists deployed in firing positions around the houses. The three meet Nathan Azri, a Pri Gan security squad member, who urges them to stop and take cover. They park the vehicle and head through the fields to the combat zone. Benny spots a suspicious figure near the Ben-Naim family's trailer and calls out to him. The figure turns out to be a terrorist with a Kalashnikov who turns around and shoots at the force, which returns fire. Boaz is hit in the shoulder, and Oz takes a bullet in the thigh and falls. Boaz shouts to Benny that he is wounded, and everyone pulls back. Benny returns to the vehicle to evacuate the injured. Oz calls for help on the security squad's WhatsApp group

Bechor Suid, a member of Shlomit's security squad, was that morning with his family members on Moshav Shuva, which is in the Gaza Envelope. He hears the cries for help from his friends in the WhatsApp group and heads towards them in his vehicle. At Maon Junction, he encountered a squad of terrorists and was killed in the battle against them. At the same time, Uriel Bibi, a combat officer in the Paratroopers Brigade, is called to his unit and heads out from Shlomit towards his unit. He was ambushed by terrorists in the Maon Junction area and was killed after fighting against them.

Four other security squad members from Shlomit head towards Pri Gan - Yehuda Rabinovich, Reuven Chicheportiche, Moshe Abuksis, and Michael Gottesman. They enter the Moshav through the main entrance straight into the inferno. They park the vehicles and begin an operational walkout until shooting starts in their direction. Michael crosses the road to improve the angle of firing at the terrorists, but he is shot and seriously wounded. Moshe asks Yehuda and Reuben to give him covering fire, and he runs under fire to Michael, lays him down, and pulls him behind a pile of cement blocks

Yehuda Rabinovich is hit and crawls into the yard of the Shemaya family's house. A grenade is thrown at him and explodes near him, but he is reported to be okay. Reuven Chicheportiche sets out in his direction. When he arrives at the courtyard of the Shamiya family, he comes across a terrorist who throws a grenade at him. Reuben jumps back over the hedge and meets Benny Meshulam, the Ravshatz, trying to reach the wounded Oz Sassoon and Boaz Biran simultaneously. Benny warns Reuben not to enter the yard because a terrorist is there. In the meantime, the terrorist retreated into one of the houses where the other terrorists were located, thus saving the life of Yehudah, who is hiding in the courtyard of the Shamiya family house, and the lives of Moshe Abuksis and Michael Gottesman, who are located in front of the family courtyard. At 08:50, Reuven goes to the other side of the road and settles behind an electrical cabinet about twenty meters from Moshe and Michael. The fighting continues, and they absorb accurate fire

Other security squad members from Shlomit are joining the fighting: Oz Glick and Aviad Gad Cohen. Two members of the security squad, Amitai Madmoni and Naor Lidani remain in Shlomit to defend it, alongside 25 of the settlement's residents who carry hand guns

Aviad Gad Cohen and Oz Glick enter Pri Gan and advance along the main road. They notice Reuven, who yells at them to come quickly. While running, Oz Glick sprains his leg, falls, and crawls toward Michael Gottesman and Moshe Abuksis. Aviad joins Reuven behind the electrical cabinet located on the street. They fire at the source of the shooting and are answered with accurate return fire. At 9:03, Aviad absorbs a bullet at the top of the ceramic vest and is killed on the spot. Reuven shouts, “Aviad is down,” approaches him, and tries to pull him to a place of shelter. At 9:05, Reuven was also hit and killed on the spot

Three grenades are thrown and explode near Oz Glick, Michael Gottesman and Moshe Abuksis. A short time later, a loud explosion was heard (presumably a bomb that blew out the gate of the Moshav) followed by silence. Oz and Moshe continue to fire to prevent the terrorists from approaching

At the height of the fighting, the terrorists board motorcycles and leave Pri Gan through the gate from which they entered. Moshe Abuksis and Oz Glick do not know this and continue shooting and fighting

Caracal Battalion soldiers arrive at Pri Gan with another Shlomit resident, Ashi Kopps. Moshe Gottesman divides them into two squads. He takes the grenade launcher from one of the soldiers and fires three grenades toward the houses where the terrorists are holed up. Afterwards, they storm the houses thinking that the terrorists are still holed up in there. Moshe enters the house of the Ben-Naim family and notices a blown-out display cabinet and a blackened living room. Upon entering the house, he detects a fragmentation grenade without a safety lever and realizes that the terrorists have booby-trapped the house and have fled

Following the terrorists' takeover of the roads, at that time, it was not possible to get to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva. Wounded security squad members are evacuated to the Situation Room opened on Moshav Naveh.