The Battle of Nahal Oz: A deep dive into its collapse, and those who fought to save it

The Israeli Defense Forces completed a somber reckoning with one of the darkest chapters of October 7, 2023: the brutal assault on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The operational investigation, a months-long probe into the battle that unfolded just 850 meters from the Gaza border, was presented to the kibbutz community, the families of hostages still held in captivity, and the bereaved relatives of those lost. Summarized by Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and delivered to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the findings paint a stark picture: the IDF failed its mission to protect the kibbutz. Yet amidst systemic collapse, the courage of civilians and a handful of defenders turned the tide against an overwhelming enemy. This is the story of that day—its failures, its heroism, and the scars it left behind.

A Quiet Kibbutz Under Siege

Nahal Oz, a small agricultural community in Israel’s south, woke to a nightmare at 06:29 on October 7, 2023. Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets across the region, the opening salvo of a meticulously planned assault. Within minutes, over 180 terrorists breached the border fence through four routes in the Nahal Oz sector, descending on the kibbutz with vehicles, motorcycles, and on foot. The attack was part of a broader offensive that saw thousands of militants infiltrate dozens of sites simultaneously, catching the IDF off guard.

The kibbutz, home to a tight-knit community, was defended that morning by a skeleton crew: the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, its support company stationed as a reserve force at “Old Be’erot Yitzhak,” and an 11-member team from the Southern Border Patrol Unit (Yamas) positioned to handle border disturbances. At 05:30, the battalion had assumed a “dawn alert” posture—a routine precaution. But by 06:43, as reports of terrorists crossing into Israel reached the kibbutz security coordinator, the reality became clear: this was no routine skirmish but a full-scale invasion.

The investigation, led by Col. (Res.) Yaron Sitbon and a team of reservists—Maj. Oren Levi, Maj. Tzuriel Avivi, Sgt. Maj. Eran Kreisberg, Sgt. Tal David, and Sgt. Adi Kahlon—reconstructed the chaos through thousands of data points. Radio recordings, resident communications (shared with consent), terrorist interrogations, visual footage, and field reconstructions formed a mosaic of a day when preparation faltered, but human resolve held firm.

The First Wave: A Desperate Stand

By 06:43, the reserve force alerted the kibbutz that Hamas fighters were advancing. Ordered to defend Nahal Oz, they raced to the scene but found the main gate locked due to a power outage—a harbinger of the disarray to come. Redirecting to a northwestern berm, they clashed with terrorist squads at close range. Tanks from the Nahal Oz outpost rolled out, one engaging enemies on motorcycles and vehicles, destroying some, while another joined the support company amid resistance.

At 07:05, the first terrorists breached the kibbutz from the south, near the rear gate, targeting the dairy farm. The kibbutz security coordinator (Ravshatz) spotted them advancing toward the “New Fields” neighborhood and relayed their position to the Yamas team. But a critical flaw emerged: the armory was locked due to the blackout, and only the Ravshatz held the code. Fighting alongside Yamas, he couldn’t summon the rapid response team, leaving the kibbutz’s civilian defenders disarmed.

Yamas fighters split up—six engaging terrorists outside the fence, five rushing to join the Ravshatz. By 07:15, the enemy reached “New Fields.” In the ensuing firefight, the Yamas team neutralized numerous terrorists, but at a cost: the unit commander fell, the Ravshatz was killed, and the remaining fighters sustained injuries. Elsewhere, a kibbutz member was murdered in her safe room. Despite the losses, this initial resistance—bolstered by the rapid response team once armed—halted most of the first wave by 10:00. The investigation credits this stand with disrupting Hamas’s plans, a testament to the defenders’ grit against staggering odds.

The Second Wave: Slaughter and Abduction

The reprieve was brief. From 10:00 onward, fresh terrorist squads infiltrated, launching the deadliest phase of the attack. Between 10:15 and 13:30, they executed a rampage of murder and abductions. Two elderly residents were killed in their home, a foreign worker was slain near the living quarters, and another was murdered at the dairy farm before being dragged to Gaza. In the “Keshet” neighborhood, terrorists entered a house, left, then returned to slaughter a family in their safe room—one survivor hiding elsewhere in the kibbutz endured the ordeal alone.

Across “Keshet,” the carnage continued. Terrorists stormed homes, filming their atrocities live on social media and forcing a少年 to call residents out of hiding. Six residents were murdered, seven abducted—four taken from a single house at 13:30. Tragically, two civilians were likely killed by friendly fire, a separate investigation confirming the accidental deaths amid the chaos.

At 12:05, a Maglan unit deputy commander encountered an ambush of ten terrorists at the kibbutz entrance. In the firefight, he, the operations officer, and another fighter were killed. By 13:15, reinforcements from Maglan and Givati’s reconnaissance battalion arrived, dividing the kibbutz into sectors to regain control.

Reclaiming the Kibbutz: A Slow Restoration

From 13:45 to 17:30, the tide turned. Security forces swept the kibbutz, clashing with lingering terrorists. A Givati team pursued fleeing squads, eliminating them. But confusion persisted: at 15:30, an uncoordinated unit mistook a rapid response team member for a hostage-taker, firing into a house and killing him—a tragic misstep born of the day’s fog.

By 17:30, the commander of Division 98 arrived, appointing Givati’s reconnaissance battalion commander as kibbutz overseer and ordering evacuations. Starting at 18:30, most residents were shuttled to Mishmar HaNegev and then Mishmar HaEmek, with the last leaving by 08:00 on October 8. The kibbutz lay in ruins—80 terrorists dead within its bounds, but at a cost of 15 lives lost, eight abducted, and widespread destruction.

The Human Toll

The attack claimed 11 kibbutz members, two rapid response team members, and two foreign nationals. Eight were abducted, including Tsahi Idan, murdered in captivity and buried in Israel, with two still held in Gaza as of March 2025. Four security personnel died heroically, their sacrifices etched into Nahal Oz’s memory alongside the wounded—fighters and civilians alike—who bore the physical scars.

A Reckoning: Findings and Lessons

The investigation’s conclusions are unflinching: the IDF failed Nahal Oz. It was unprepared for a massive, multi-front surprise raid—a scenario far beyond the isolated infiltrations it had trained for. No additional reserves were available, leaving the sector’s forces—outnumbered and outmaneuvered—to fend for themselves. Command and control collapsed within an hour, the Northern Brigade unable to grasp the enemy’s scope or direct reinforcements effectively.

Yet the report praises the first wave’s repulsion. Despite the shock and inferior numbers, Yamas and the rapid response team fought with professionalism and valor, disrupting Hamas’s advance. The reserve force’s swift action at the berm further tilted the balance. “A skilled, equipped force, even if small, can decisive a battle,” the team noted, highlighting a lesson in rapid response.

Failures compounded the tragedy. The armory’s inaccessibility crippled the rapid response team—only the deputy Ravshatz, armed at home, joined the fight fully equipped. Reinforcements arrived too late to stop the second wave, their delay—until Maglan’s 13:45 entry—allowing murders and abductions to escalate. Command breakdowns and poor situational awareness left the kibbutz exposed, a void only filled when Division 98’s commander improvised order in the afternoon.

The team urged reforms: better-equipped reserves, redundant security systems, real-time social media monitoring (used chillingly by Hamas), and clearer command structures. Friendly fire incidents—three civilians killed—underscored the chaos’s toll, a recurring theme across October 7 investigations.

A Community’s Resilience

Nahal Oz’s story is one of contrasts: a military caught unprepared, yet individuals who stood tall. The kibbutz’s proximity to Gaza made it a prime target, but its defenders’ resolve—civilian and soldier alike—carved a narrative of defiance. The investigation, with its thousands of hours and voices, ensures their sacrifices aren’t forgotten, even as the road to rebuilding stretches long ahead.