Occupation Army Investigations Acknowledge Failure in 'Holit': Soldiers Fled and Reinforcements Arrived After 7 Hours

The results of the operational investigations conducted by the occupation army revealed new details about the military failure to confront the Palestinian resistance attack on Kibbutz 'Holit' on October 7, 2023. The investigations acknowledged that the field forces completely failed to protect the settlers, leading to the death of 13 people, including soldiers and settlers, and the capture of 6 others as prisoners to the Gaza Strip.

The report, based on field testimonies and video clips, confirmed that about 60 Palestinian resistance fighters managed to storm the kibbutz at exactly 6:59 AM after blowing up the eastern security fence. Despite the initial movements being detected, the military response was completely absent, leaving the kibbutz residents to face the attack alone for long hours without any external intervention.

Official documents revealed an incident described as 'fleeing the field,' where patrol vehicles arrived in the vicinity of the kibbutz at 7:18 AM but left the area after only two minutes. The soldiers justified their withdrawal by receiving reports of their commander being injured at another location, leaving the area completely clear for Hamas fighters to move freely between houses.

The investigation, led by Colonel Elon Peretz, indicated that the occupation army was never prepared for a large-scale attack launched by thousands of resistance fighters on dozens of locations simultaneously. This confusion led to a paralysis in the command and control system, as units that arrived later failed to coordinate their efforts or prevent the resistance fighters from advancing within the settlement.

In controversial details, the investigation stated that the first organized ground forces did not arrive in 'Holit' until 1:53 PM, more than seven and a half hours after the start of the incursion. This significant time delay gave the resistance fighters complete control over the area, enabling them to carry out their tasks and engage with advancing forces from a comfortable position.

The failure was not limited to ground forces but extended to the air force, as an attack helicopter arrived late and hovered for half an hour without success. The report clarified that the helicopter crew fired random shells in an attempt to reveal the locations of the resistance fighters, but failed to identify any target or provide actual assistance to the besieged forces on the ground.

The investigation claimed that some forces that tried to enter early faced simple technical obstacles that prevented their intervention, such as the main gate of the kibbutz not opening. An armored vehicle on its way to the location also broke down, reflecting a state of technical and operational laxity that affected the units deployed in the Gaza envelope during the first hours of the battle.

The findings emphasized that Palestinian resistance fighters showed a high ability to maneuver and hide, as intermittent clashes continued inside and around the kibbutz for up to 30 hours. Even after reinforcements from the 'Golani' Brigade and other units arrived, the resistance fighters continued to pose a direct threat, leading to the injury of several Israeli soldiers with varying degrees of severity.

Informed sources explained that the publication of these results was delayed for about six months due to the need to complete investigations at 40 other engagement points that occurred on that day. The purpose of this delay was to try to formulate operational conclusions that the army could use to rebuild its collapsed defensive system in the southern region.

The investigations included an explicit admission that the 'kibbutz security coordinator' and members of the 'civil defense squad' were killed while trying to fill the void left by the army. The results confirmed that the lack of coordination reached the extent of 'Golani' Brigade forces entering the area without informing other units, which almost led to friendly fire incidents.

The report also noted that a tank crew composed entirely of women eventually had to breach the closed gate to allow the rest of the forces to enter at 2 PM. These details reflect the extent of the chaos that prevailed in the field, where there were no clear orders or activated emergency plans to deal with the breach of the border fence.

In a related context, the investigation indicated that the resistance fighters who stormed 'Holit' were fully aware of the area's terrain and house distribution, enabling them to move effectively. Cameras documented the resistance fighters allowing an Israeli woman and her two children to return, a move the investigation considered part of the field battle management by the attackers.

The committee, whose findings were approved by former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, concluded that the failure was comprehensive and not limited to a specific unit. It affirmed that the lessons learned require radical changes in how border settlements are protected, especially given the resistance's demonstrated ability to disrupt surveillance and rapid response systems.

It is worth noting that this investigation is part of a series of detailed investigations conducted by the occupation army into the events of October 7, in which about 1200 Israelis were killed. The army leadership faces significant public and political pressure due to these failures, which revealed unprecedented security and military vulnerabilities in the entity's history.

The Israeli army failed to defend Kibbutz Holit, primarily due to a lack of preparedness for a widespread and simultaneous attack.