Visiting Israel's Border Villages in the Gaza Envelope Post October 7

Introduction

The events of October 7, 2023, left an indelible mark on the villages in the Gaza Envelope, a region abutting the Gaza Strip. As a visitor, my journey through these communities was both a sobering and enlightening experience, revealing the resilience and fortitude of those living under constant threat. This blog aims to share what I saw, some of what I learned, my observations and reflections from the trip with my tour guide Dror Katzman, offering a glimpse into the lives of the resident before the events of the 7th of October 2023 and the following days. This Blog is divided to 8 parts. During the visit we have been to all the places described here and the next 7 blogs. You may want to read some before the trip and some after the trip.

Arrival and Initial Impressions

Upon entering the Gaza Envelope, the tension was felt in the air. We can see Security measures, with increased military presence and checkpoints.

Our first stop was kibutz Yad Mordachai

Kibbutz Yad Mordechi

Here we went to the Observation point to Gaza (very close), Sderot more villages and the Mediterranean sea. We set in the shadow and got Geo political introduction to Gaza trip.

The kibbutz was established in 1943, Since it was founded close to the time of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The kibbutz was named in honor of Mordechai Anielewicz, the leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, as a tribute to his heroism and to keep his memory alive. In 1948 Yad Mordechi was attacked by the Egyptian army and was captured after fierce battles and the members had to evacuate. Only after 6 month they come back to rebuild the Kibbutz. We saw recreation of the 1948 battle and the destroyed water tower tank left from the independence war. Natan Rapport (Holocaust survivor) sculptured Mordechai Anielewicz. It was amazing to see the connection between the Holocaust, the war of independence and the massacre that occurred in a Jewish independent state after 80 years while Gaza is in the Background.

During the Hamas attack on October 7, the security coordinator of Netiv HaAsara (can be seen from the observation point) reported the invasion over the radio. The kibbutz's emergency squad managed to organize, and they had the support of three permanent Border Police soldiers stationed at the kibbutz entrance. The emergency squad prevented an infiltration attempt from the direction of the dairy farm, while simultaneously the Border Police team moved to the junction. Within 60 seconds, they identified 8 Hamas motorcyclists and opened fire on them.

Gunfire ensued, and during this time a special forces unit that had been called in arrived, though they were still in civilian clothes. The unit was shot at and an RPG narrowly missed them. They joined the Border Police team and together they eliminated the attacking force (this action saved the kibbutz and likely Ashkelon as well).

At this point, a pickup truck with terrorists was identified 200 meters from the dairy farm. The emergency squad fired at it and the special forces unit joined them. The terrorists were eliminated. There were no further attempts, but the kibbutz decided to evacuate (for the second time in its 80 years of history) the women and children. Our next stop was Sderot.

As we approached the city of Sderot we saw on the right Kibbutz Nir Am.

Nir Am

Nir Am A kibbutz established in 1943. The place was critical to all settlements in the desert. It turned out to be above an aquiclude (underground water), and the wells drilled there were used as a source for a water line laid in 1947 to supply water to the 11 points in the Negev that were established on the night of Yom Kippur 1946. In the 1960s, the system was connected to the southern end of the National Water Carrier.

On October 7, 2023, 35 Hamas terrorists attacked Nir Am. The commander of the readiness squad was Inbal Lieberman (see graphite picture). She alerted the squad (12 people) and positioned them in defensive positions. Due to the falling rockets, the electricity in the kibbutz was cut off, but she ordered not to activate the generator out of concern that the terrorists would use it to open the kibbutz gate. They hit three terrorists, killing two of them. This caused the terrorists to stop at the hatchery east of the kibbutz, and after three hours, a Border Police and Golani force arrived and attacked the hatchery until the terrorists were eliminated. During the fighting, the terrorists threw a grenade into a Golani armored personnel carrier. Corporal Matan jumped on it and saved his friends by sacrificing his life.

Hamas did kidnap Samer Talalka, a Bedouin from Houra who worked at the hatchery. His vehicle was found at Shifa Hospital, and he was mistakenly shot by the IDF after he managed to escape from Hamas.

Our next visit is Shderot.