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Hamas Terror on Israel

A. Introduction

Factual findings: acts committed by the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023 in Israel 1

Introduction

Section titled “Introduction”

  1. On 7 October 2023, members of Hamas armed wing, called the Izz ad-Din al- Qassam Brigades, and other Palestinian armed groups, accompanied by Palestinian civilians,2 numbering at least 1,000 persons,3 carried out a coordinated, complex attack on Israeli civilian communities, civilian locations and military bases in southern Israel, near the border with Gaza. Attackers entered Israel by land, sea and air in conjunction with the launch of a large-scale rocket and mortar attack towards cities, towns and villages and military bases in southern and central Israel.

  2. According to Israeli sources, more than 1,200 persons were killed directly by members of the various Palestinian armed groups and others and by rockets and mortars launched from the Gaza Strip. Of these, at least 809 were civilians, including at least 280 women4, 68 were foreign nationals and 314 were Israeli military personnel. Among those killed were 40 children (including at least 23 boys and 15 girls confirmed by the Commission) and 25 persons aged 80 and over. In addition, 14,970 people were injured and transferred to hospitals for treatment. At least 252 people were abducted to Gaza as hostages, including 90 women, 36 children, older people and members of Israeli Security Forces. About 20 of these abductees were members of Israeli Security Forces, many of whom have since been killed in captivity. As of 21 May 2024, 128 hostages had been released or rescued, including bodies retrieved of killed hostages, and 128 remained in captivity, alive or dead.5

  3. According to Israeli sources, at 06:30 on Saturday 7 October, Palestinian armed groups launched a heavy barrage of rockets and mortar fire at Israel, targeting in particular southern villages, towns and cities. At 10:26 the Israeli Army spokesperson announced that 2,200 rockets and mortars had been fired at Israel.6 According to media reports, projectiles were also fired at military bases located close to the border housing ‘lookout posts’, with the aim of blinding Israeli forces to the approaching attack and impeding their ability to coordinate a counter-strike. At the same time, according to reports, Palestinian armed groups launched armed drones to neutralize the surveillance systems along the border. Shortly after 06:30, under the cover of rocket fire, Hamas armed wing and other Palestinian militants breached the fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel through use of explosives, in at least 29 different locations. Bulldozers were used in some places to widen the gaps in the fence to allow the passage of vehicles.

  4. Hamas armed wing and other Palestinian armed groups, as well as armed and unarmed Palestinian civilians, continued entering through the breaches in the fence throughout the morning. Other militants entered Israeli airspace using motorized hang- gliders and entered Israel by sea, landing at Zikim beach.

  5. Large groups of attackers targeted specific towns and villages, while others attacked military bases. Hamas armed wing and other Palestinian militants laid ambushes on key roads leading from areas of Israel near the Gaza border (known as ‘the Gaza Envelope’ or in Hebrew Otef Aza)[^13], and targeted arriving Israeli Security Forces. In the kibbutzim of Zikim, Kerem Shalom, Nir Am, Sa’ad and Alumim, the local rapid response security teams largely pushed back the armed Palestinian attackers. While sustaining some losses, these kibbutzim managed to hold off a full occupation by militants. Other kibbutzim, however, were effectively occupied by the attackers for the majority of the day before the arrival of Israeli security forces. On the roads and in the villages and towns they occupied, attackers shot people on the streets and in cars, they entered and burnt people’s homes, killing, injuring and abducting people to Gaza. Hamas military wing and other Palestinian armed groups attacked 24 localities (listed from south to north): Holit, Sufa, Nir Itzhak, Pri Gan, Talmei Yosef, Mivtachim, Yesha, Amioz, Magen, Nir Oz, Nirim, Ein Hashlosha, Kissufim, Re’im, Be’eri, Alumim, Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, Mefalsim, Yachini, Nir Am, Sderot, Netiv Ha’asara, Karmia, Zikim beach and Ofakim, as well as public spaces and outdoor festivals.7 Ofakim was the eastern- most town attacked that day. Palestinian armed groups also held positions at junctions along road 232 where they ambushed civilians trying to escape and shot at security forces.

  6. Hamas military wing and other Palestinian armed groups attacked an outdoor music festival, the Nova festival near Re’im, from the air and ground. Festival-goers were directly targeted by large numbers of attackers at the festival site, on road 232, in public shelters along road 232 and in the surrounding fields and orchards while trying to escape by foot or hide. Some festival-goers were also killed after escaping or fleeing the festival site to the surrounding kibbutzim. According to Israeli sources, a total of 364 festival atendees were murdered at the Nova festival site.8

  7. Another attack site was Zikim beach, south of Ashkelon. The attack on Zikim beach was carried out by Hamas military wing attackers arriving from Gaza in rubber boats. Several of the boats were reportedly intercepted by the Israeli Navy at sea. At least 18 civilians, including five children (four boys and one girl), were killed on Zikim beach that day.9 Hamas military wing attempted to use Zikim beach to infiltrate Israel through the sea, even after 7 October. On 14 October, Israeli Security Forces sank a Hamas boat at sea.10 Another attempt involving eight Hamas divers was reportedly stopped at sea by Israeli Security Forces on 24 October 2023.

  8. According to reports by Israeli sources and testimonies, as well as videos released by Hamas military wing, at least eight Israeli military bases and outposts were attacked on 7 October, among them Zikim, Paga outpost, Nahal Oz outpost11, Sufa, Urim, Re’im, Kerem Shalom and Erez Crossing. At least 314 Israeli Security Forces personnel were killed in these and other locations.12

  9. At least 18 civilians were also killed in Israel as a result of direct rocket and projectile hits on 7 October and in the weeks that followed. Of these, 10 were Palestinian citizens of Israel and seven were children.13

  10. Approximately 150,000 people were evacuated from their homes in southern Israel on and immediately after 7 October. As of April 2024, the majority were still displaced, residing in hotels and temporary housing.14

Sources

Footnotes

Section titled “Footnotes”

  1. All information in this report contained in its factual findings is based on confidential information on file, unless specifically annotated. ↩

  2. The Commission uses the term “Palestinian civilians” to refer to people from Gaza dressed in civilian clothing who it found had taken part in the attack. In some cases, the Commission could not determine whether members of this group were part of the militant wing of Hamas or any other Palestinian non-State armed group, or whether they were civilians directly participating in the hostilities. . See more in section P below. ↩

  3. https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/news/swords-of-iron-war-in-the-south-7-oct-2023/en/English_Swords_of_Iron_Hamas%20Invasion%20-%20Full%20Map%20-%20v5.pdf ↩

  4. Israeli souces did not include disaggregated figures for the number of civilians killed. The Commission based this figure on a manual count through the website of the Israeli National Insurance, see ↩

  5. https://laad.btl.gov.il/Web/He/TerrorVictims/Default.aspx?lastName=&firstName=&fatherName=&motherName=&place=&year=&month=&day=&yearHeb=&monthHeb=&dayHeb=&region=&pe riod=32`%22. ↩

  6. https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%91-%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%9A-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%91-%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%96%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C-%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%93%D7%A2-%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%AA-7-10/ ↩

  7. The area of the Gaza Envelope includes the city of Sderot and 45 smaller villages which are situated within 7 kilometers of the fence with the Gaza strip. See https://fs.knesset.gov.il/globaldocs/MMM/0b0db3c9-da70-ee11-8162-005056aa4246/2_0b0db3c9- da70-ee11-8162-005056aa4246_11_20280.pdf. ↩

  8. https://oct7map.com/. https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/swords-of-iron-war-in-the-south-7-oct-2023 Ibid. ↩

  9. https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%96%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%AA-%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D/ ↩

  10. See section G of this report. ↩

  11. https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/swords-of-iron-war-in-the-south-7-oct-2023 ↩

  12. https://www.gov.il/en/Departments/news/swords-of-iron-civilian-casualties#Civilian%20casualties ↩

  13. https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/news/swords-of-iron-war-in-the-south-7-oct- ↩

  14. 2023/en/English_Swords_of_Iron_Israel-Hamas%20Conflict%202023.pdf ↩