The IDF‘s failure to defend the southern Gaza border town of Ein Hashlosha from Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion cost the lives of three civilians and one member of the security forces, the military said, announcing its probe on Wednesday.
Only one terrorist was killed in the defense of the town, though dozens of Palestinian invaders were killed in the environs near the town.
For example, the air force did not help in the fight for the town directly, but did kill six Gaza terrorists trying to cross the border to the town around 12:00 noon.
In the area around the kibbutz, soldiers from Battalion 51 and a tank from Battalion 77 fought against invaders during the morning hours, though the tank was redirected to help Nir Oz at 9:40 a.m.
However, generally, the kibbutz was left to its own limited volunteer local security defenders, who were overwhelmed by the invaders.
Invasion of Ein Hashlosha
The first wave of invaders started shortly after Hamas’s 6:29 a.m. massive rocket barrage of Israel, with around 15 trained invaders.
Around 8:05 a.m., a second wave of invaders who were not connected to a particular terror group and not especially trained also invaded the area.
As in many other Gaza border villages, significant IDF reinforcements, including border guard soldiers, soldiers from Brigade 188, and some additional armed civilian reinforcements only started to arrive in the afternoon between 1:20 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Most of the residents were evacuated by the evening of October 7 and spent several months in temporary housing situations in Eilat before returning in early 2024.
