BBC12 months on from the 7 October Hamas assaults, difficult questions are nonetheless being requested inside of Israel concerning the deadliest day in its historical past, when the rustic’s tough military used to be stuck off guard and unexpectedly beaten.
The BBC has heard accounts given to households of what took place at one army base that guarded the border with Gaza.
The Nahal Ouncesbase used to be overrun by way of Hamas gunmen at the morning of seven October and greater than 60 Israeli infantrymen are reported to had been killed – with others taken hostage.
Israel’s army is but to submit its respectable inquiry into what took place there that day, but it surely has already briefed kin of the ones killed there, and a few have shared the ones main points with the BBC.
That is the nearest we need to an respectable account by way of Israel’s army of what took place at the day.
In an try to additional piece in combination occasions, we’ve additionally spoken to survivors, noticed messages from those that died, and listened to voice recordings reporting the assault because it took place, serving to to construct an image of the rate and ferocity of the invasion.
The BBC has discovered:
- Suspicious task used to be noticed by way of many infantrymen on the base prior to 7 October, no longer simply the younger females whose task it used to be to observe border cameras
- Squaddies spotted an abrupt forestall to Hamas task within the days prior to the assault
- Many Israeli troops there have been unarmed and respectable protocols had infantrymen status again when below assault, as an alternative of advancing
- Some surveillance apparatus used to be both out of motion or ready to be destroyed by way of Hamas comfortably
The main points we’ve established elevate questions – together with why so few infantrymen have been armed at a base so on the subject of the border, why extra wasn’t carried out to answer the intelligence and warnings that have been gained, the way it took goodbye for reinforcements to reach, and whether or not the very infrastructure of the bottom had left the ones there unprotected.
We put our findings to the IDF, who spoke back to mention it used to be in the middle of a “thorough investigation into the occasions of October seventh, together with the ones in Nahal Ounces, and the instances previous”.
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On 7 October, Sharon – no longer her actual identify – started her shift at Nahal Ounces, a couple of kilometre from the Gaza border fence, at 04:00.
She used to be a part of the bottom’s all-women army unit – referred to as Tatzpitaniyot in Hebrew – and their function used to be to review reside surveillance pictures captured by way of cameras alongside the fence.
The ladies labored in shifts within the base’s battle room, or Hamal, gazing Gaza via a financial institution of displays across the clock.
The Hamal is a windowless room secure by way of a cast door and blast partitions, with strict safety protocols.
The IDF has advised households of other folks at the base that day that many army team of workers have been unarmed.
Gen Israel Ziv, former head of the IDF’s Operations Department, advised the BBC that all the way through his carrier, there would by no means had been unarmed infantrymen in border spaces.
“It doesn’t make sense… The soldier is concerning the weapon,” he says.
The armed team of workers at Nahal Ouncesthat day incorporated a unit of infantry infantrymen from the IDF’s Golani brigade.
The BBC has in the past reported that the Tatzpitaniyot had spotted an escalation in suspicious task at the different facet of the fence, however we’ve now established that those issues have been additionally shared by way of different infantrymen on the base from other gadgets.
Within the days in a while prior to 7 October, on the other hand, issues had long gone quiet.
“There used to be not anything and that used to be horrifying us,” one infantry soldier stationed on the base recollects.“Everyone felt that one thing used to be odd. It didn’t make sense.”
The IDF’s failure to snatch what used to be going down used to be right down to “numerous conceitedness”, says Gen Ziv, the concept that “Hamas wouldn’t assault, wouldn’t dare, and that even if that is so, they aren’t succesful”.
“We went to sleep at the sixth pondering there’s a cat over there and we awoke at the seventh and there’s a tiger.”
At 05:30, contributors of the Golani ready to start a jeep patrol alongside the Israeli facet of the fence – one thing they did prior to morning time each and every morning. However they have been then steered by way of their superiors to lengthen the patrol and stand again as a result of a danger of anti-tank missiles, 3 of them have advised the BBC.
“There used to be a caution. It used to be forbidden to move up the direction subsequent to the fence,” one recollects.
Any other Golani, 21-year-old Shimon Malka, stated this kind of caution used to be abnormal however no longer remarkable, in order that they gave it little concept.
Gen Ziv says it’s same old IDF protocol to face other folks again all the way through suspected assaults like this so they may be able to “keep away from being uncovered as a goal”. However, he says, “Hamas realised that and used it” to their benefit.
He stated the bottom will have to had been provided with positions that the Golani may safely reply from.
“There are quite simple ways to hide infantrymen in order that they’re below duvet however they’re nonetheless ready to react, not to lose sight,” he stated.
Because the Golani waited clear of the fence, Sharon started seeing actions amongst Hamas opponents. However they appeared not anything rather then regimen – “in addition they have shifts.”
By way of 06:20 Hamas had begun taking pictures rockets, however once more Sharon says this didn’t appear in an instant alarming – she had skilled rocket assaults prior to and the bottom used to be well-shielded towards them.
“It’s most often 5 mins of taking pictures after which a damage,” she says.
However this time, there used to be no damage.
At about 06:30, Sharon says she may see Hamas forces starting to shut in.
The Tatzpitaniyot radioed via to the bottom forces to alert them.
“All stations, 4 other folks operating to the fence, reproduction,” one of the vital younger females introduced, her voice shaking rather. “I’m figuring out two armed other folks operating to the fence, reproduction.”
About the similar time, Shimon heard the code phrases for a rocket assault via his radio. His commander ordered they bounce from their jeep right into a Namer – a kind of Israeli armoured group of workers provider – and head against the fence.
However he couldn’t see any incursions and assumed it used to be only a drill.
This so-called iron wall had lengthy been considered by way of the IDF and other folks throughout Israel as impenetrable, and but bases alongside it all started reporting breaches.
Each and every of the Tatzpitaniyot on shift at Nahal Ounceswitnessed between two and 5 breaches of the phase of border fence they have been chargeable for tracking, says Sharon. They watched as Hamas opponents made their manner inside of Israel.
Gen Ziv says the benefit with which opponents had crossed the fence confirmed the failings in a barrier gave the impression to be impenetrable.
“As you noticed, two truck-loads may come and push it. It used to be not anything. Even though there used to be a minefield of fifty or 60 metres over there, it will have not on time Hamas for a couple of hours.”
In a while prior to 06:40, an remark submit at Nahal Ouncesused to be hit and broken by way of a rocket, in step with IDF circle of relatives briefing notes shared with the BBC.
A sniper-sighting gadget used to be put into motion from the Hamal – the nerve centre of the bottom – and an officer tried to shoot remotely at gunmen looking to pass the border, the IDF advised households.
Infantry officials joined the Tatzpitaniyot within the Hamal, too. Sharon recollects one commander arriving in her pyjamas.
After which, as gunmen persisted to shoot at surveillance cameras, the tracking displays within the Hamal began to move darkish.
Hamas have been working in simple sight of those surveillance cameras alongside the border within the weeks prior to have been tactical, says Gen Ziv, in an effort to “normalise issues”.
Simply 100 metres from the place the Tatzpitaniyot have been running, Alroy – one of the vital 5 IDF remark balloonists on website that morning – used to be woken by way of the rockets and the sirens, his father Rafi Ben Shitrit advised the BBC.
The IDF later equipped main points of an preliminary investigation to Alroy’s circle of relatives about what took place that day.
The balloon at Nahal Ouncesoffered a deeper view into Gaza, and used to be intended to be operational 24 hours an afternoon.
However on 7 October it used to be certainly one of 3 alongside the border that have been out of motion.
Getty Photographs“The balloon in Nahal Ouncesdid not paintings and nobody used to be wired, they have been advised it will be fastened on Sunday,” says Mr Ben Shitrit.
“There used to be an environment like: ‘Hamas is deterred, although one thing occurs it is a terrorist infiltration or at maximum a terrorist squad.’”
Again at her surveillance level, Sharon carried on frantically speaking with infantrymen at the floor.
“I cried and introduced, concurrently,” she says.
She recollects that the commanding officer yelled for “quiet” as a result of one of the vital younger females have been dropping center of attention amid the horror.
On the fence, Shimon says he adopted the radio instructions. He nonetheless couldn’t perceive why the younger lady’s voice he used to be listening to sounded so panicked.
“I may really feel the strain, however I couldn’t see anything else.”
When his unit reached where the Tatzpitaniyot had directed them to, they noticed Hamas vans breaking throughout the fence.
“They began to shoot at us. Possibly 5 vans.”
The warriors shot again and ran over the ones on motorbikes.
In a while after 07:00 got here the instant everybody feared and no one may consider. Hamas gunmen have been on the door of the Hamal.
“Stand up, the terrorists are on the door,” Sharon recollects being advised.
The Tatzpitaniyot have been ordered to desert their positions and head to an place of business within the battle room.
Gen Ziv says that the ones upper up within the army didn’t put sufficient emphasis on protecting the bases themselves, focusing as an alternative on exterior patrols.
“That used to be a part of the entire mess as a result of as soon as the enemy shocked them and went into the bottom they weren’t able. The entire thing collapsed,” he says.
At about 07:20 what used to be referred to as the protect – a bomb safe haven outdoor the Hamal – used to be attacked.
Amongst the ones sheltering inside of have been some off-duty Tatzpitaniyot, who have been being secure by way of “4 feminine warriors”, in step with a WhatsApp message despatched at 07:38 by way of one of the vital Tatzpitaniyot sheltering there and noticed by way of the BBC.
There have been no additional messages from her within the workforce.
The IDF advised households that those “feminine warriors” have been the one armed other folks hiding within the safe haven – and so they stored Hamas opponents at bay with their gunfire till a grenade explosion killed one of the vital commanders and injured others inside of.
At this level, about 10 of the warriors controlled to flee the safe haven and locked themselves within the lodging barracks. Everybody else within the protect used to be both killed or captured by way of Hamas.
Shimon and his commander headed again to the bottom, however they nonetheless weren’t conscious about the size of what used to be going down.
The IDF would later transient the circle of relatives of a type of killed at Nahal Ouncesthat the assault at the base used to be begun by way of drone moves, and motion by way of 70 opponents from 4 instructions, and that ratings extra joined because the morning went on.
TelegramUp and down the Gaza Strip, 1000’s crossed into Israeli territory.
On his as far back as base Shimon says he started to understand the size of the assault.
“After we were given to the bottom, the whole lot used to be burned,” he says.
Within the place of business within the Hamal, Sharon says the crowd of about 20 infantrymen attempted to calm every different down.
In the meantime, they made repeated makes an attempt to name for extra make stronger.
“I assume [someone] stated one thing like ‘There’s no backup, no-one can come,’ and I take note my officer stated ‘We don’t want backup, we want rescue.’”
In a while prior to 08:00 an Israeli drone, referred to as a Zik, arrived, but it surely had issue distinguishing between Israeli infantrymen and Hamas, in step with the IDF account, which supposed it used to be slower to assault its meant objectives.
At about the similar time, an assault started at the Hamal, with a number of taking pictures. The ones armed fought on the doorways of the construction to stop Hamas from getting inside of. The preventing persisted for roughly 4 hours.
In the meantime, Shimon says he and different infantrymen preventing on the base have been totally outnumbered. There used to be no signal of reinforcements.
“It used to be all imprecise.”
At about 09:00, the Golani headed to the bottom’s eating room the place the Tatzpitaniyot had advised them lots of the gunmen have been hiding.
Family would later be informed by way of the IDF that there have been 150 gunmen to each and every 25 fight infantrymen coming into Nahal Ouncesthat day.
“What Hamas used to be doing that morning used to be swarming,” says Gen Ziv.
“There have been over 70 other breaches… over 3,000 terrorists… They knew they didn’t have the standard in order that they needed to pass amount.”
A video, which Israeli media studies used to be filmed round this time, presentations younger surveillance officials at Nahal Ounces, who have been captured by way of armed Hamas.
“You canines, we can step on you,” one guy is heard pronouncing as the ladies’s fingers are tied, their faces towards the wall.
Nineteen-year-old Naama Levy, who had most effective began on the base the day before today, pleads that she has “buddies in Palestine”, her face coated in blood.
The pictures presentations the ladies being dragged right into a ready car and pushed away.
It’s devastating for Naama’s mom to observe. “The injuries, the blood, what she used to be pronouncing, what the terrorists have been pronouncing to them, the horror of the ones moments,” says Dr Ayelet Levy.
Gen Ziv says the Tatzpitaniyot at Nahal Ounces “have been wonderful – the error used to be the gadget, the commanders, no longer them”.
Greater than 3 hours after the assault had begun, at 09:45, an IDF helicopter began firing on the Hamas gunmen, officials advised grieving kin. It fired into the bottom 12 instances.
Shimon and 6 others, together with their commander, drove out of the bottom and returned in formation on foot. He says they have been fired on “from all instructions”.
Throughout the sound of automated gunfire would come a sequence of unmarried pictures, fired by way of a Hamas sniper they couldn’t see.
“Each time he shot, certainly one of my buddies were given a bullet within the head,” he says.
Shimon says he used to be the one a type of preventing along him to continue to exist, and he too, had a close to omit.
“A bullet handed proper by way of my head… I may listen the bullets hitting the concrete round me and really feel the warmth from them.”
At this level, he says his radio used to be now not operational.
Gen Ziv describes the day as a “best possible typhoon”.
“For such a lot of hours the backup used to be no longer there as a result of no one knew precisely what used to be happening and the place to ship the backup,” he explains.
Shimon escaped the scene and moved to a sniper’s place prior to becoming a member of with infantrymen from any other unit who went to give protection to a kibbutz.
Again within the Hamal, or battle room, there used to be a vital construction at about 11:00.
The electrical energy used to be reduce which supposed the locks to the doorways, which have been on an electrical gadget, have been launched. It left the battle room large open, in step with the IDF account given to a number of households. Hamas opponents started taking pictures inside of and throwing grenades.
One used to be killed in a face-to-face knife struggle with a Golani soldier, the IDF advised households.
Gen Ziv stated on the level that infantrymen have been depending on door locks for his or her protection, the wider army gadget had “already failed”.
Within the IDF’s briefing to households it stated “terrorists threw a flammable substance into the Hamal and set it on hearth”.
“The smoke used to be in reality thick. Everybody began to cough and suffocate. Other folks begin to fall and faint,” recollects Sharon.
One mom says she used to be advised by way of the IDF that a “poisonous substance” have been utilized by Hamas within the assault, although others weren’t conscious about this element or stated the IDF had since modified its account in this.
At about 12:30, seven other folks within the Hamal – together with Sharon – controlled to really feel their method to the bathroom window and climb out, in step with accounts of the ones there that day.
There, she and the opposite survivors waited for extra to practice. However no-one got here. Sharon used to be the one survivor a number of the Tatzpitaniyot on shift that day to continue to exist. One different younger lady within the unit, who used to be on the base however no longer running that morning, additionally survived.
By way of the top of seven October, the army had regained regulate, however lots of the ones stationed there didn’t continue to exist the day. Seven Tatzpitaniyot have been taken again to Gaza as hostages, the place one used to be killed, any other rescued and 5 nonetheless stay.
Throughout Israel that day, about 1,200 other folks – together with greater than 300 infantrymen – have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage. Since then, greater than 41,000 Palestinians had been killed because of Israeli army motion in Gaza, the Hamas-run well being ministry says.
The Nahal Ouncesdead have been to incorporate Alroy the balloonist and 4 comrades, who had engaged in a long combat with Hamas, says his father, bringing up data given to him by way of the IDF.
They controlled to kill on the subject of 10 gunmen, he stated, however the 5 have been outnumbered and have been all discovered useless inside of a cell safe haven at 14:30.
The battle room – which have been designed as a secure house for the bottom’s gadgets – used to be destroyed. Footage and movies display it charred, the displays the Tatzpitaniyot have been in moderation tracking, blackened. Bone fragments have been discovered a number of the ashes there.
The survivors and the households of the ones killed and abducted are left with unanswered questions on the way it went so incorrect.
Further reporting by way of Jon Donnison and Naomi Scherbel-Ball
