Netiv HaAsara massacre

Netiv HaAsara massacre
Part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel
Netiv HaAsara is located in the Gaza Strip
Netiv HaAsara
Netiv HaAsara
Site of the attack in Israel
Native nameהטבח בנתיב העשרה
LocationNetiv HaAsara, Southern District, Israel
Coordinates31°34′15″N 34°32′22″E / 31.57083°N 34.53944°E / 31.57083; 34.53944
Date7 October 2023; 12 months ago (2023-10-07)
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, war crime
Deaths22
Injured1, others unreported
VictimsNo hostages taken
Perpetrator Hamas Beit Lahia Battalion[1]

The Netiv HaAsara massacre[2] occurred during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Thirty-five Hamas militants, some via paragliders and most via car, attacked Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli moshav close to the border fence. The militants killed at least 20 people, including in some cases members of the same family. Before the massacre, the moshav was home to approximately 900 residents.[3]

Background

Netiv HaAsara, a moshav founded in 1982, is home to a population of 900. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Netiv HaAsara became the closest Israeli community to the Gaza Strip, situated 100 meters from the Palestinian towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanon. Residents in Netiv HaAsara have claimed to witness Hamas militants training.[4]

Attack

As part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on the morning of 7 October, 35 Hamas militants infiltrated Netiv HaAsara, six of them on motorized paragliders and the rest in cars through the breached Gaza–Israel barrier.[4] At the time of the invasion, many residents had fled to their home's safe rooms after the initial rocket barrage at 6 am local time. For the first two hours of the invasion, residents did not know that Hamas militants had entered Israeli territory due to the unavailability of power or internet access. The village's security team battled the attackers, and three were killed in the fighting, alongside 21 residents.[5] Power to the village was disrupted, leaving people trapped in safe rooms without power.[6]

After six hours of the residents fighting with the invading Hamas gunmen, the Israel Defense Forces arrived in the moshav.[4]

Aftermath

Survivors of the attack have criticized the Israeli government for not preventing the attack and for the lengthy response time of the IDF.[5][7][8]

The remains of the last victim from the attack, Bilha Yinon, were not found until August 6, 2024. All that was found were a couple of teeth and "other circumstantial evidence."[9] Yinon was the mother of Maoz Inon, an Israeli peace activist.[10]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ "IDF eliminates senior Hamas commander". The Jerusalem Post. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. ^ Cojean, Annick (1 December 2023). "Israel, the Weissmann family's pioneer dream". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Border town identifies at least 15 of its residents killed in Hamas attack". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Ariel, Tal (12 October 2023). "ליל הבדולח של נתיב העשרה: הגבורה העילאית של אנשי המושב צמוד הגדר - שנתקלו ראשונים". Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b 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 16 August 2024.
  6. ^ "עדויות תושבי העוטף ממתקפת הפתע על ישראל: "טובחים כאן בתינוקות" | ישראל היום". Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (13 October 2023). "'There was no air force, no soldiers, we were alone,' says Hamas massacre survivor". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. ^ MOR SELA, TAMAR (17 March 2024). "'You feel like an uprooted plant. You try to plant yourself somewhere you don't know to feed the basic need for water and air. It's like putting a plant that needs earth into concrete'". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ Zitun, Yoav; Tzuri, Matan (6 August 2024). "IDF confirms Bilha Yinon, listed as missing, was murdered on October 7". Ynet. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Hamas attack: Final missing Israeli victim declared dead". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.

Bibliography