IDF Internal Report: Civilians Left to Defend Yechini as Military Response Faltered on October 7

 

An internal investigation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), released Wednesday, has revealed critical failures in the military’s defense of the Yechini area during the October 7 Hamas assault. The probe concluded that while IDF units failed to adequately protect the region, civilians and local security forces acted with bravery and professionalism, directly engaging the terrorists and preventing even greater loss of life.

Thirteen civilians and four members of the security forces lost their lives in the attack.

The report detailed a series of lapses in preparedness, communication, and defensive posture that allowed a Hamas cell to infiltrate the area. Eight terrorists carried out a deadly rampage, beginning with the killing of six civilians and two IDF soldiers in Yechini, before continuing to Highway 34, where they murdered nine additional civilians, an IDF soldier, and a firefighter.

Despite the initial breach, civilians and police officers — some unarmed — managed to kill all eight terrorists over the course of three hours, averting what could have been a far deadlier tragedy.

Yechini, located on Highway 34 between Sderot and Netivot, falls under the jurisdiction of the IDF’s Northern Brigade in the Gaza Division. On the night of October 6, responsibility for the area lay with the IDF’s 77th Battalion, while the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion was stationed approximately 10 kilometers north at the “Berek” outpost.

The attack began at 6:29 a.m. on October 7, with a massive rocket barrage targeting southern Israel. By 6:38 a.m., Hamas infiltrators began crossing the Gaza border. At 7:05 a.m., a second wave entered, including the eight-man terrorist cell that would later strike Yechini.

Their route took them through the Sha’ar HaNegev junction and southbound along Highway 34. After failing to break into a gas station sheltering ten civilians, the terrorists attempted to enter Kibbutz Gavim at 7:24 a.m., only to be repelled by local security and a resident in a gunfight through the locked front gate.

Wounded, the cell turned back and redirected their attack southward toward Yechini at approximately 7:28 a.m., driving against traffic and murdering eight civilians along the road: Liam Sharam, Yehonatan Zaidman, Ilay Baram, Dr. Michael Morzhanov, Loretta Alkara, Liu Zeigu, Liu Jiana, and Deputy Fire Commander Roi Moshe.

By 7:37 a.m., three civilians fleeing the Nova music festival arrived at Yechini's locked main gate. With the help of two residents, they found shelter in a bomb shelter. Just two minutes later, the terrorist cell reached the gate, abandoned their vehicle, and entered the kibbutz on foot through an unsecured pedestrian entrance.

Most residents had already fled, but the three festivalgoers were taken hostage in the bomb shelter by the terrorists.

The findings of the IDF’s probe spotlight not only the lapses in military readiness but also the extraordinary courage displayed by civilians who stepped into the void to defend their communities under fire.