User:שלומית ליר/sandbox/Kerem Shalom

Battle of Kerem Shalom took place on October 7, 2023, as part of a surprise attack on Israel, during which scores of terrorists from the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. The standby squad of the kibbutz engaged the terrorists in combat and was successful in stopping them from carrying out a massacre within the kibbutz.

Background
Extended entry – Hamas-led attack on Israel On the morning of Simchat Torah 5784, Saturday, October 7, 2023, the terrorist organizations Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad initiated a surprise attack on Israel. Under the cover of thousands of launched rockets, approximately 3,000 terrorists infiltrated dozens of Israeli communities and military installations in and around the Gaza Envelope (bordering Gaza) while conducting gun battles against sparse security forces. The terrorists committed massacres and rapes, murdered 843 civilians, and abducted about 247 people to the Gaza Strip, including women, the elderly, and babies. The standby squads, Israel Police officers, including special units, and IDF soldiers fought against them. Outnumbered Israeli forces killed about 1,550 terrorists inside Israeli territory. Fifty-five policemen and 301 soldiers were killed in those battles.

The Course of Battle
When the terrorists broke through, the executive officer of the Nahal battalion, Major Ido Shani, notified his people that they were at war and that they should report to their positions. Deputy Company Commander Lieutenant Yoav Levinson arrived in an armored all-terrain vehicle with his men at the perimeter fence of the kibbutz, where they fought and prevented dozens of terrorists from breaking through into the settlement. When “Red Alert” attack alarms sounded at about 6:30 AM, the nine members of the kibbutz's standby squad prepared to deploy within the kibbutz together with six soldiers from the Nahal who reinforced them. Dozens of terrorists who had crossed the fence from the Kerem Shalom crossing area penetrated the kibbutz and began battling fiercely with squad members.

The fighting lasted six hours. During this time, the members of the standby squad managed to kill many terrorists. In the meantime, another group of about 50 terrorists had entered the kibbutz from the back gate. A military combat helicopter that sped to the scene fired several missiles at the terrorists, killing most of them and causing the rest to flee. During the fighting, one of the terrorists succeeded in surprising two members of the standby squad from behind and killing them. At 13:00, fighters from the Nahal Brigade arrived to reinforce the standby squad, and by evening, the forces were able to gain full control of the kibbutz, thus avoiding a terrorist massacre of its residents as they had accomplished in nearby kibbutzim.