Kfar Aza slams IDF probe, calls October 7 response a 'catastrophic failure'

The community described the investigation as “shocking, difficult, and further evidence” of the catastrophic failures that left the kibbutz defenseless.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 26, 2025 19:51

Gon Sousanna from Kfar Aza delivers a statement about the IDF's probe into the security failures on October 7. (Courtesy Kfar Aza))

The Kfar Aza community condemned the IDF’s response to the October 7 Hamas-led attack and the subsequent probe into the security failure in a statement on Wednesday.

In the statement, the community described the military’s investigation as “shocking, difficult, and further evidence” of the catastrophic failures that left the kibbutz defenseless.

According to the community, hundreds of terrorists overran Kfar Aza on that fateful morning. At the same time, residents were left abandoned and forced to fight for their lives with little to no assistance.

For hours, members of the community cried out for help, facing hundreds of armed militants largely on their own, the kibbutz noted.

The kibbutz’s emergency response team fought desperately, displaying remarkable acts of heroism and solidarity, but no IDF soldiers arrived until late morning. Even then, the statement notes, the soldiers entered without proper control or command, leaving the community to bear the brunt of the attack.

Destroyed houses from the October 7 massacre almost a year ago, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, September 19, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

64 members of the community were murdered, 19 were abducted from their homes, and dozens of buildings were burned or severely damaged.

Where was the IDF on October 7?

The community’s statement called the events an “unimaginable failure” of the IDF’s command and defense systems. While the military’s investigation was described as comprehensive and thorough, it failed to provide a clear answer to the central question: Where was the IDF during those critical hours?

The Kfar Aza community emphasized the moral obligation of the State of Israel to prioritize the return of all hostages, including the twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, and to ensure the necessary security and physical conditions for the kibbutz’s recovery.

The statement concluded with a tribute to the fighters and security forces who eventually arrived, honoring their courage and sacrifice. “We will forever remember and honor those who fought with unwavering bravery and gave their lives for us,” the community declared.

The Israeli military will present the lion’s share of its probes into the October 7 massacre between February 25 and March 4.

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The second probe focuses exclusively on intelligence and especially on the estimate of the chances of war by Hamas, studies about Hamas and its capabilities, how intelligence was collected, and how much or little willingness there was within the intelligence establishment to tolerate dissenting views which viewed a Hamas invasion as a real potential threat.

The probes are expected to show that there was a pervasive incorrect understanding by the defense and political establishment for many years that Hamas was deterred, and after large losses in 2008-9, 2012, 2014, and May 10-21, 2021, was no longer interested in large scale conflict with Israel.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.