Survivors in Kibbutz Describe Horrifying Hamas Attack

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In Kfar Aza kibbutz, the aftermath of a deadly assault by Hamas militants has left Israeli citizens and Hamas fighters lying near burnt-out homes. The collection of bodies has only recently begun.

One resident recounted the horrifying events of Saturday, stating, "[The militants] came into every home, into every room, every place. They would burn their house with them inside so they would die. They shot children, babies, old people, anyone. No one was safe from it. The first victim was a 90-year-old woman who was sitting on her porch. She saw them coming and she got shot."

Another resident described spending hours hiding from the gunmen, saying, "We were in this panic room for I think over 30 hours. Then they broke windows and started shooting everywhere. I think at some point they shot at the door of the panic room."

Israel has reported that it has largely secured the Gaza border and is evacuating nearby towns where the bodies of 1,500 Hamas militants have been recovered by Tuesday. Some residents managed to escape and are now staying in a hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea, along with around 150 other residents of the Beeri kibbutz in southern Israel.

However, others were not as fortunate. In her kibbutz alone, "more than 100" people were killed, according to the spokesperson for the NGO Zaka, which participated in the identification of bodies.

“There were very many, more than 100” dead, said spokesperson Moti Bukjin. The Hamas men “shot everyone, they murdered children, babies, elderly people, everyone in cold blood,” he added.

These deaths were part of a multi-front assault by Hamas militants on Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip last Saturday.

Hamas gunmen entered as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities as far as 24 kilometers from the border.

The Israeli military reported more than 1,000 casualties in Israel since Saturday's incursion, with over 150 people kidnapped by Hamas. In Gaza and the West Bank, authorities reported 830 people killed. 

Inbal Reich Alon, a 58-year-old woman, spent 15 hours locked in a shelter while Hamas gunmen killed and kidnapped dozens of Israelis around her home, just outside the Gaza Strip. She initially thought the noise of explosions on Saturday morning was a storm, only later realizing the extent of the Hamas offensive. Her family took refuge in a safe room in their house, which was set on fire by the attackers. They had no idea what was happening and could hear screams in Arabic. For hours, they held onto the shelter's door handle, which does not lock, in fear.