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Kfar Aza massacre

Coordinates: 31°29′1″N 34°32′2″E / 31.48361°N 34.53389°E / 31.48361; 34.53389
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Kfar Aza massacre
Part of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel
Kfar Aza family home after the attack
Kfar Aza is located in Israel
Kfar Aza
Kfar Aza
class=notpageimage|
Site of the attack in Israel
LocationKfar Aza, Southern District, Israel
Coordinates31°29′1″N 34°32′2″E / 31.48361°N 34.53389°E / 31.48361; 34.53389
Date7 October 2023; 14 months ago (2023-10-07)
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, decapitation (alleged), dismemberment, immolation
Deaths62 or 79
Perpetrator al-Qassam Brigades
 National Resistance Brigades[a]

On 7 October 2023, around 70 Hamas militants attacked Kfar Aza, a kibbutz about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the border with the Gaza Strip, massacring residents and abducting several hostages.

Kfar Aza had more than 700 residents prior to the attack, and it took two days for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to regain full control of the area. At least 62 residents, including a 15-year old, were killed during the attack, and a further 19 were taken hostage.[2][3][4][5]

The attack is notable for claims of brutality in the form of beheadings,[6] dismemberment, and victims having been burned alive.[7][8] Claims by Israeli media and government sources advancing that 40 babies had been decapitated went viral.[9][10][11][12] While a massacre of civilians did occur, a few of the most lurid claims, including the baby decapitations, were later found to be false.[9][13][10][14]

Massacre

Prior to the massacre, the area had 700 residents. About 70 Hamas gunmen broke through a fence and gained access to the kibbutz on the morning of 7 October 2023.[15] After entering the kibbutz, which was 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from Gaza, the militants proceeded to massacre residents.[15] The Islamist militants began by targeting the west side of the community—an area in the kibbutz close to Gaza—where families with young children lived.[16][17]

Members of the kibbutz with military training, who formed a volunteer armed guard, fought against invading militants in an attempt to defend the community.[17] Hamas militants broadened the attack to all four directions.[16] Militants burned houses and killed civilian residents.[18][19][20] Corpses of those who had lived in the area were found with their hands tied.[20]

A survivor, Avidor Schwartzman, described how he hid with his wife and one-year-old daughter in their safe room for over 20 hours until their rescue by Israeli soldiers.

"There were bodies everywhere. Dead bodies everywhere," the 38-year-old said. "We saw our little piece of paradise, our little piece of heaven, was totally burnt – burnt and with blood everywhere".[21]

In addition, the militants took hostages from the kibbutz.[22][23] The Associated Press visually confirmed four hostages who were abducted on 7 October.[24] The militants took women, children and senior citizens among the hostages back to Gaza.[25]

It took the IDF two and a half days to regain full control of Kfar Aza after the initial attack.[17] The paratroopers of Unit 71 led the assault to retake the area,[26] and the Duvdevan Unit also responded to the attack.[5] Another Palestinian militant group, the Maoist DFLP, also declared that its troops (organized as National Resistance Brigades) were fighting the IDF in Kfar Aza.[27]

While sexual violence at Kfar Aza cannot be verified, female victims found undressed, bound and shot may be indicative of sexual violence.[28]

Casualties

Exterior of buildings showing damage from attack during visit from US Senator Lindsey Graham in January 2024

According to BBC News, most of the victims of the massacre died in the opening hours of the attack. As of 10 October 2023, soldiers were still going through the community to recover bodies.[29] According to one soldier present, several civilians had been beheaded.[11] Other victims were dismembered or burned.[8] Children and babies were initially reported to be among the killed.[6][10] By late 2024, the number of deaths was reported as either 62[2] or 79,[30] with 18[30] or 19[2] abducted to Gaza.

In the aftermath of the initial Hamas assault, witnesses from the IDF and the first responder organization ZAKA told i24news that they had seen the bodies of beheaded infants at the site of the Kfar Aza massacre.[31][32][6] During Antony Blinken's visit to Israel, he said he was shown photos of the massacre by Hamas of Israeli civilians and soldiers, and specifically that he saw beheaded IDF soldiers.[33] U.S. President Biden separately said that he had seen photographic evidence of terrorists beheading children, but the White House later clarified that Biden was alluding to news reports of beheadings, which have not contained or referred to photographic evidence.[10]

A ZAKA volunteer reported on 14 October that he had seen children's bodies with severe injuries and burns. Some of the bodies appeared to have been decapitated, but the exact circumstances were not clear.[34] On 24 October, Israeli authorities screened body cam footage of Hamas atrocities for journalists, including "an attempt to decapitate someone who appeared to be still alive using a garden hoe",[35] as well as a still image of a decapitated IDF soldier.[36] The locations of these attacks were not specified in the reporting.[35][36]

An allegation of "40 beheaded babies" spread widely on social media in the days immediately following the massacre, which was later found to be false.[10][37] On 4 December, Haaretz reported that "unverified stories [had been] disseminated by Israeli search and rescue groups, army officers and even Sara Netanyahu".[13][38] Haaretz journalists Nir Hasson and Liza Rozovsky related the chronology of the news items about "beheaded babies" and "hung babies" and concluded, "this story is false".[13] They quoted Ishay Coen, a journalist for the ultra-Orthodox website Kikar Hashabbat, who admitted he made a mistake by unquestioningly accepting the IDF's claims.[13] "Why would an army officer invent such a horrifying story?", Hashabbat asked, adding, "I was wrong".[13] Haaretz also reported that some testimony came from reservist officers.[13]

Of those taken hostage in Kfar Aza, Aviva Siegel was released in a prisoner exchange after 51 days, while her husband Keith has remained in captivity for over 300 days, as of August 2024.[39]

Aftermath

On October 14, one week after the massacre, a vigil by a survivor of the Kfar Aza Massacre grew into a protest which attracted hundreds of participants, calling for the return of the 17 Kfar Aza residents kidnapped by Hamas during the attack, as well as the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu.[40] Another protest organized by survivors took place on October 26.[41]

Kfar Aza massacre survivor Ziv Stahl, executive director of the human rights organization Yesh Din, strongly opposed calls to exact revenge in an article for Haaretz, arguing that, "Indiscriminate bombing in Gaza and the killing of civilians uninvolved with these horrible crimes are no solution".[42]

Israeli Major General Itai Veruv described the massacre as a terror attack.[22] Hamas has also released video footage of the attack.[43] Journalists were granted access to the site on 10 October 2023.[44][22] In December 2023 it was reported that actress Debra Messing and journalist Douglas Murray toured the site of the massacre and met with survivors during their trip to Israel.[45]

Exterior of home in Kfar Aza kibbutz showing hostage poster during visit from US Senator Lindsey Graham in January 2024

The kibbutz has become a place of pilgrimage, military ceremonies and tourism by visitors to Israel and Israeli citizens, with at least one resident speaking out about the practice. She told reporters that items were being taken from peoples homes and buildings, along with some not respecting the area and history, after finding two IDF soldiers taking selfies in her home when she came to collect items.[46] A visitor to the site expressed discomfort walking through the empty streets and stated that many homes had giant banners with the names and pictures of their residents along with their status after the attacks.[47]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Claimed partial responsibility for the attacks.[1]

References

  1. ^ الانترنت, الحرية-مجلة التقدميين العرب على. خلال بيان لها قبل قليل.. كتائب المقاومة الوطنية (قوات الشهيد عمر القاسم) الجناح العسكري للجبهة الديمقراطية [During a statement a short while ago...the National Resistance Brigades (Forces of the Martyr Omar Al-Qasim), the military wing of the Democratic Front] (in Arabic). مجلة التقدميين العرب على الانترنت. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "A year after Oct. 7, Kfar Aza and Nir Oz are mostly empty, with residents in anguish". The Times of Israel. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Kutz family: Father, mother and three teens die in embrace". The Times of Israel. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  4. ^ Tzuri, Matan (15 October 2023). "A quarter of the residents of Nir Oz are either dead or missing". Ynet. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Spencer, Richard (13 October 2023). "They came at dawn: inside the Kfar Aza kibbutz massacre". The Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Williams, Holly; Lyall, Erin (11 October 2023). "Israel kibbutz the scene of a Hamas "massacre", first responders say: "The depravity of it is haunting"". CBS News. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  7. ^ Ghert-Zand, Renee (18 October 2023). "Young couple and baby burned by terrorists in Kfar Aza home fight for their lives". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b Oliphant, Roland (10 October 2023). "Hamas slaughtered babies and children in Kfar Aza kibbutz massacre". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b "'40 beheaded babies': Deconstructing the rumor at the heart of the information battle between Israel and Hamas". Le Monde.fr. 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e Tenbarge, Kat; Chan, Melissa (12 October 2023). "Unverified reports of '40 babies beheaded' in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media". NBC News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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  13. ^ a b c d e f "Hamas Committed Documented Atrocities. But a Few False Stories Feed the Deniers". Haaretz. 4 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
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  21. ^ Lubell, Maayan; Rose, Emily (12 October 2023). "How an Israeli kibbutz 'paradise' turned into hell in Hamas attack". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Lubell, Maayan (10 October 2023). "Bodies of residents and militants lie in the grounds of ravaged Israeli kibbutz". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  23. ^ Logan, Nick (10 October 2023). "Why Hamas took so many people hostage — and how that complicates Israel's response". CBC News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
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  26. ^ Bowen, Jeremy (10 October 2023). "Inside Kfar Aza where Hamas militants killed families in their homes". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  27. ^ الانترنت, الحرية-مجلة التقدميين العرب على. "khilal bayan laha qabl qalilin.. katayib almuqawamat alwatania (quaat alshahid eumar alqasuma) aljanah aleaskarii liljabhat aldiymuqratia" خلال بيان لها قبل قليل.. كتائب المقاومة الوطنية (قوات الشهيد عمر القاسم) الجناح العسكري للجبهة الديمقراطية [During a statement a short while ago...the National Resistance Brigades (Forces of the Martyr Omar Al-Qasim), the military wing of the Democratic Front] (in Arabic). مجلة التقدميين العرب على الانترنت. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Mission report:Official visit of the Office of the SRSG-SVC to Israel and the occupied West Bank 29 January – 14 February 2024" (PDF). United Nations. 2024.
  29. ^ Emergui, Sal (10 October 2023). "Kfar Aza, el kibutz donde Hamas asesinó a 40 bebés". El Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  30. ^ a b Curiel, Ilana (21 August 2024). "Victims of massacre say will shun government memorial event". Ynetnews. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  31. ^ Zedeck, Nicole (10 October 2023). "'It smells of death here': Surveying the scenes of atrocities in Kfar Aza". I24news. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  32. ^ Tuquero, Loreben (13 October 2023). "Reports of 260 Israeli music fest deaths aren't unsubstantiated". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  33. ^ Norman, Greg (12 October 2023). "Israeli PM's office releases graphic photos purporting to show Hamas 'murdered and burned' babies". Fox News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
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  38. ^ "Israeli personnel gave false information about 7 October attack crimes - report". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  39. ^ Emma Graham-Harrison, Quique Kierszenbaum, Freed Israeli hostage Aviva Siegel on a ‘terrible’ war strategy and waiting for her husband to come home The Guardian 14 August 2024
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