Kissufim massacre
Part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel
Kissufim is located in the Gaza Strip
Kissufim
Kissufim
Site of the attack in Israel
Native nameהטבח בכיסופים
LocationKissufim, Southern District, Israel
Coordinates31°22′27″N 34°23′58″E / 31.37417°N 34.39944°E / 31.37417; 34.39944
Date7 October 2023 (2023-10-07)
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, war crime
Perpetrator Hamas

On 7 October 2023, a sudden assault was launched on Israel by Hamas militants originating from the Gaza Strip. They targeted Kissufim kibbutz located in the Southern District of Israel. As a result of this violent attack, at least eight kibbutz civilians and six Thai laborers were killed, and additionally at least four individuals were abducted and taken to Gaza.[1]

Background

Kibbutz Kissufim is located in the northwestern Negev desert, near the border with the Gaza Strip. It was established in 1951 by Zionist youth from the US and South America. Kissufim was meant to help secure Israel's southern border against Palestinian infiltrators. The kibbutz economy is based on dairy and poultry farming, citrus groves, and avocado orchards. The nearby Kissufim crossing into Gaza was the main route for traffic into the Gush Katif settlement bloc until Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

Kissifum is a kibbutz small farming collective with 300 residents, described by its residents as a "paradise". It was one of 22 farming collectives and farms that Hamas attacked on October 7.[2]

On the morning of 7 October 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israeli targets and sent hundreds of militants to infiltrate Israeli communities and military facilities. Hamas militants clashed with security forces and reached civilian areas, where they killed and kidnapped many people. According to estimates, 162 Israelis were taken to the Gaza Strip, including women, the elderly and infants.[2]

Massacre

On 7 October 2023, at least 70 Hamas fighters entered Kibbutz Kissufim. They carried out a massacre in the kibbutz and killed at least eight of its members, as well as six Thai workers.[1] Four kibbutz members were kidnapped, and the kibbutz buildings suffered heavy damage. The kibbutz security team fought back during the attack and four of its members were killed, including its leader. IDF troops eventually arrived and cleared the kibbutz.[3][4] On Saturday night, the kibbutz residents were evacuated to a hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea.[2][5]

On Tuesday, Reuven Heinik from Ashkelon, the kibbutz dairy farm manager, asked the army for permission to enter the kibbutz dairy farm in order to feed the cows who had not received food and water for about 60 hours. While at the milking parlor, a militant who was hiding at the location killed him.[6][7]

One of the notable victims, Gina Semiatich, was a 90-year-old woman. Reportedly she was forcibly taken and killed by the militants. she was dragged and then shot in the head in her living room.[1]

Repelling the militants and evacuating kibbutz residents

A platoon from the 51st Golani Battalion arrived at the kibbutz in order to repel the militants, and became engaged in a battle that lasted several hours. In the late afternoon hours, the soldiers began evacuating kibbutz residents who were trapped in their homes. Eight soldiers from the platoon were killed in the battle.[8]

After the events of October 7, the Israeli government declared the border towns in the Gaza Envelope as active military zones, closing off Kissifum and evacuating its remaining residents.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tzuri, Matan (12 October 2023). "Horrors unraveling: Hamas militants cold-bloodedly execute 90-year-old Israeli woman". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Murphy, Zoeann; Gerberg, Jon; Berger, Miriam; Shefte, Whitney (13 October 2023). "Survivors of Hamas's rampage in Israel recount the horrors they saw". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Starr, Michael (10 November 2023). "War journal: Uncertainty and decay in Kissufim". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Tzuri, Matan (12 October 2023). "Untrained, lacking proper arms, local security teams defended their Gaza border homes". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  5. ↑ ""אל תדאג, לאבא יש אקדח": תיעוד רגעי האימה מהממ"ד בכיסופים | חדשות 13". רשת 13 (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  6. ↑ קריסטל, מירב (10 October 2023). "רפתנים נרצחו ונחטפו: "חולבים עם מתנדבים, הייבוא יהיה אצבע בעין"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "ראובן התעקש לחלוב את הפרות - ונהרג על ידי מחבל שהסתתר ברפת בכיסופים - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "סיפור הגבורה של סער ז"ל: "אני הולך להציל את הבית"". סרוגים (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.