Israeli army probe whitewashes ‘failures’ in Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 Oct
The investigation failed to address reports that Israeli forces killed their own civilians using helicopters and drones during the Hamas attack

News Desk

JUL 12, 2024

A burnt house in Kibbutz Be’eri after the deadly assault by Hamas, seen on October 11, 2023. (Photo credit: Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)
The Israeli military presented its investigation on 12 July into the events at Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October, highlighting the failure of the army to respond to the Hamas attack for long hours and the army’s use of multiple tank shells to target a home full of Israeli civilians, while ignoring reports that Israeli forces killed their own that day.

The probe concluded that the army “failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri,” claiming the military had never prepared for the type of attack launched by Hamas during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

It also found that security authorities did not adequately warn Be’eri residents about the attack.

Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi said in a statement that the investigation “clearly illustrates the magnitude of the failure and the dimensions of the disaster that befell the residents of the south who protected their families with their bodies for many hours, and the IDF was not there to protect them.”

The Times of Israel writes that according to the probe, “Residents were left to fend for themselves for long hours, with the army – stunned by the shock attack on dozens of towns and in utter disarray – failing to come to their rescue.”

The Israeli newspaper added that “the military sees the presentation of the probe as a way of rebuilding trust with the kibbutz in particular and the Israeli public in general, following the IDF’s failures on October 7.”

The probe also revealed that Israeli forces fired four tank shells at a home full of Israeli civilians taken captive by Hamas fighters, killing 13 of them.

Brigadier General Barak Hiram, the commander of the 99th Division, previously stated that he ordered the tank to fire on the home to end a standoff with the Hamas fighters, “even at the cost of civilian casualties.” However, the army report did not acknowledge that Hiram anticipated the Israeli hostages would be killed. It instead suggested the tank shells were fired only to pressure the Hamas fighters to surrender.

The probe found that the Israel tank crushed several pickup trucks the Hamas fighters had planned to use to transport the captives back to Gaza.

In all, 101 civilians and 31 security personnel were killed in Be’eri. Hamas successfully took 30 residents and two more civilians captive, including 11 who remain in Gaza. At least 125 homes in the settlement were damaged and destroyed amid the fighting.

Israel blames Hamas for the civilian deaths and destruction of homes in Be’eri. However, previous reports in Israeli media indicate that the army issued the Hannibal Directive on 7 October, which specifies it is permissible to kill Israeli soldiers and civilians to prevent them from being taken captive by an enemy.

The Israeli army deployed Apache attack helicopters, drones, and tanks to respond to the Hamas attack.

As a result, the army killed large numbers of its own civilians and soldiers and caused massive destruction in the territories it occupies near the Gaza border, at the Nova rave, and in the settlements, including Be’eri.

The army probe released Friday did not address the Hannibal Directive nor the role of Israeli helicopters and drones in killing Israelis and destroying homes in Be’eri.