Israeli Oct. 7 probe of Kibbutz Be'eri shows massive operational failures

TEL AVIV — An Israeli military probe published Thursday on what happened in Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas attacked Oct. 7 revealed the unbelievable chaos that reigned there from that Sabbath morning until the evening of the next day amid calls for a state commission of inquiry into the political echelon's responsibility for the massacre that took place that day.

Israelis shaken by Be’eri probe

The probe on Be’eri was the first in a series of agonizing examinations underway by the Israeli military in an effort to explain the colossal failure in the south of Israel Oct. 7. The findings were presented Thursday to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, survivors of the massacre and the general public. “The IDF failed in its mission to defend the people of Israel,” conceded military spokesperson Daniel Hagari in unveiling the report.

The two-day battle for Be’eri began at 6:29 a.m., when hundreds of Hamas assailants breached the border fence and the kibbutz gates, roaming its green lawns and paths, going from house to house and slaughtering residents before burning their homes. When Israeli troops gained control of the community at 10 p.m. on Oct. 8, they found the bodies of some 100 Hamas attackers and the charred remains of 101 kibbutz residents and guests. Another 30 residents had been abducted and taken to Gaza, 11 of whom are still being held by Hamas.