The IDF on Monday published its probe into how Hamas terrorists infiltrated Kibbutz Holit during the October 7 massacre, saying that approximately 60 terrorists attacked the kibbutz, killing three IDF soldiers, murdering 13 civilians, and taking a total of nine hostages, six of whom were taken into the Gaza Strip, and three were rescued by Israeli security forces on October 7.
Out of the 60 terrorists that attacked Holit, approximately 20 were killed during the fighting, the IDF said.
The IDF also published a timeline of the events from the morning of October 7 until October 12.
Phase I – Beginning the attack and fighting IDF soldiers outside the kibbutz (6:29 a.m. until 6:59 a.m.)
At 6:29 a.m., terrorists infiltrated Israel, penetrating the perimeter fence and moving towards Holit. At the time, the soldiers deployed near the perimeter fence engaged the terrorists and began fighting them.
The commander of the IDF’s regional company ordered soldiers to repel the infiltrating terrorists. A tank under his command went towards a position overlooking the border fence, fighting at the position for approximately three hours.
The tank hit a large number of terrorists, vans, and motorcycles, significantly reducing the number of terrorists who could infiltrate near the kibbutz, the IDF said.
Additionally, mortar teams fired at the infiltration sites, and additional squads were sent to block the movement of civilians on traffic routes.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., the Kibbutz emergency response team chief and his deputy met near the security chief’s home to develop a situational picture.
He heard gunfire near the kibbutz and reported it to additional security chiefs in the area, at approximately 6:40 a.m., aiding in additional emergency response teams to be able to prepare for the attack.
At approximately 6:45, the chief and his deputy identified terrorists near the kibbutz’s eastern fence and opened fire on them.
At 6:54, observers reported the identification of approximately 15 armed terrorists near the border fence. Following this, the company commander ordered the armored personnel carrier (APC) and two armored patrol vehicles to reposition to defend Holit.
At 6:56, the vehicles arrived at the kibbutz’s main gate, attempting to contact the commanding officer and the emergency response team’s chief to open it.
The gate, however, remained closed, and the vehicles remained outside the kibbutz, the military said.
Meanwhile, the APC encountered terrorists, got stuck, and was disabled. The crew exited the vehicle and fought the terrorists who were attacking it.
Phase II – Emergency response squad and kibbutz residents fight back (6:59 a.m. until 1:53 p.m.)
At 6:59, the terrorists had blown up Holit’s eastern fence and entered the kibbutz. They began killing, kidnapping, destroying, and looting, the IDF said.
Until IDF soldiers were able to arrive, members of the emergency response squad and other kibbutz residents attempted to fight off the infiltrating terrorists on their own.
During this fight, the squad was able to rescue several residents who had been trapped in their homes, the IDF said.
From approximately 7 until 8 a.m., the terrorists kidnapped six civilians from Holit’s dairy farm, four of whom had Israeli citizenship and the other two were foreign workers. The terrorists also killed another foreign farm worker during the incident.
At approximately 7 a.m., the emergency response squad commander entered his vehicle, driving towards the kibbutz gate in order to attempt a flanking maneuver on the terrorists. He parked his vehicle near a bus stop and began walking. Soon after, he encountered terrorists and opened fire.
At the same time, terrorists broke into a residence on the kibbutz and murdered a civilian who was inside.
At approximately 7:10, the emergency response squad commander was killed by terrorists in the southeastern section of the kibbutz. At the same time, his deputy remained posted on the western side, fighting terrorists for approximately three hours.
Shortly after the commander was killed, another terrorist cell broke into the western side of the kibbutz. During a firefight, these terrorists killed a squad commander and wounded a Nahal Brigade soldier.
During this firefight, the two patrol vehicles continued to operate outside the kibbutz. They attempted to call for reinforcements and reported that terrorists had infiltrated the kibbutz.
By 7:18, the two patrol vehicles had driven towards the breach in the eastern side of the fence, encountering fire from Gaza terrorists. The vehicles ran over several motorcycles belonging to infiltrating terrorists, the military said.
At approximately 7:20, terrorists broke into a residence, threw a grenade inside, and set the living room on fire. One of the residents was rescued by their neighbors almost two hours later.
At the same time, the terrorists broke into another residence and murdered a couple who lived there. Their seven-year-old daughter hid in a closet and was rescued by neighbors after almost three hours. During the child’s rescue, one neighbor was able to shoot two terrorists.
From approximately 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., terrorists broke into another house and murdered a civilian inside. The terrorists also broke into a different house, murdering an elderly resident and their caregiver.
Terrorists also broke into another house at the same time. The father of the house killed a terrorist in the living room. At approximately 8:30, his daughter was seriously wounded, and his wife was lightly wounded when an improvised explosive device attached to the window exploded.
At 7:50 a.m., terrorists broke into yet another residence and murdered a couple who lived inside. The terrorists also wounded their 16-year-old son, who was hiding in his house, and was later rescued by IDF soldiers.
Terrorists also broke into an additional house and murdered a couple who lived inside at approximately 8:30.
At 8:59, terrorists broke into a house and burned it down. The resident was in the police station. After approximately 25 minutes, they were rescued through the police station window by their neighbors.
From 9 until 12:30, the terrorists continued their terror rampage across the kibbutz, breaking into dozens more residences, looting property, and burning and vandalizing homes and vehicles.
Other attacks occured throughout the morning, the military said.
An officer sent a combat helicopter to scan for terrorists in the southwestern part of the kibbutz.
At about 12:55 p.m., the helicopter opened fire in an attempt to expose infiltrating terrorists. However, the helicopter did not detect any terrorists.
During the afternoon, the terrorists attempted to enter the residence of the emergency response squad’s deputy commander several times. He opened fire on the terrorists, killing one at the entrance and wounding another. He was able to successfully repel the terrorists.
Phase III – IDF soldiers arrive at Kibbutz Holit (from 1:53 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.)
At 1:53 p.m., IDF soldiers entered the kibbutz and began searching the eastern neighborhood.
By 2 p.m., the soldiers located the terrorists who had barricaded themselves inside a residence. Two soldiers were wounded in the firefight, the military said.
At 2:06 p.m., the Paran Regional Brigade commander, a Colonel rank, led a force to the kibbutz gate, breaking through it with assistance from a tank belonging to the Caracal Battalion. Other soldiers, including those from counterterrorism units, entered the kibbutz and began searching for terrorists, the military noted.
At approximately 2:10 p.m., the soldiers were fired upon by terrorists in the kibbutz orchards while advancing near the eastern perimeter fence. During the firefight, one soldier was killed and two were wounded.
At approximately 2:15, a tank opened fire on the terrorists in the orchard.
From then on, until approximately 3:30, the terrorists withdrew while holding three civilians hostage. These included a three-year-old and a five-month-old whose mother had been murdered earlier during the attack.
They left the kibbutz via the west and took the hostages into the Gaza Strip.
At approximately 2:45, soldiers from the Bardelas Battalion entered the kibbutz, while other soldiers remained deployed near the orchard.
At approximately 3:10, the Paran Regional Brigade commander mobilized soldiers to carry out searches of the kibbutz.
At 3:18, soldiers from the air force’s Shaldag special forces unit arrived at the kibbutz gate.
By 3:40, they were joined by soldiers from the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal), who joined in searching for hiding terrorists.
At 3:55, Shaldag soldiers identified 15 terrorists retreating to Gaza from the western side of the kibbutz. The soldiers opened fire and directed the tank operating in the area to run over several of the terrorists attempting to retreat.
At approximately 4 p.m., soldiers arrived at the kibbutz gate, aiding in rescuing injured civilians. At the same time, two D9 bulldozers exposed the orchard area.
At 4:10, Shaldag soldiers located the remains of a murdered foreign agricultural worker.
At 4:15, a tank secured the eastern area outside the kibbutz, while another force from the Golani Brigade broke through the kibbutz fence near the barn and began to search the area. Their movements were not coordinated with the commander of the Paran Regional Brigade, the IDF said.
At approximately 4:20, the brigade commander held a situational assessment at the kibbutz gate, along with other military and security officials.
At that time, soldiers noticed suspicious movement, and the brigade commander ordered soldiers to open fire. However, they did not do so for fear of hitting fellow soldiers. In fact, it turned out to be the aforementioned Golani Brigade squad.
After this, the Paran Regional Brigade chief ordered the unification of IDF soldiers, and ordered the assistance of searches and rescue operations for residents still inside the kibbutz.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., the infiltrating terrorists released three civilians who had been taken hostage into the Gaza Strip near the perimeter fence. The civilians, who included two children, walked back towards the kibbutz for hours, the IDF said.
Phase IV – Evacuating Kibbutz Holit residents, IDF operations to cleanse the area (until October 12)
The IDF began evacuating kibbutz residents at approximately 4:30 p.m. on October 7. The evacuation was conducted while soldiers, police officers, emergency response squad members, and other residents were still conducting sweeps of the kibbutz.
At the same time, the IDF provided medical assistance to injured residents.
By approximately 7 p.m., the three kidnapped citizens arrived at the kibbutz.
The IDF transferred responsibility for securing the kibbutz to the Southern Division’s Southern Brigade by 9 p.m.
At approximately 2 a.m. on October 8, a paratrooper patrol squad arrived at the kibbutz. The soldiers set up ambushes after their arrival, the military said.
At approximately 10:15, these soldiers encountered terrorists in the orchard to the east of the kibbutz. During the firefight, three soldiers were wounded, and the terrorists were killed. The wounded soldiers were successfully evacuated by Shaldag and Search and Rescue’s Unit 669, the military confirmed.
On October 9, soldiers found more terrorists in the orchard area. The soldiers opened fire, killing the terrorists. No soldiers were wounded in this firefight, the military said.
On October 10, the remains of a murdered civilian were found within her home.
On October 12, the remains of the emergency response squad commander were found. The deputy commander remained on the kibbutz until all missing remains were located, the military noted.
Source:
www.jpost.com
