Holit Massacre

On 7 October 2023, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades (Al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of the Hamas party) attacked Holit, a kibbutz close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip, as part of the 7 October attacks on Israel.

Twelve residents including one member of the security team were killed, Three foreign kibbutz employees, two from Nepal and a Moldavian, were also killed.

A resident, whose parents were killed, and a Thai employee, were injured. They recovered, with the employee subsequently returning to Thailand. Four members of a family were injured when a grenade failed to breach their safe room, but shrapnel entered through the space under the door.

Seven hostages were taken captive. Three were released on the day of the attack just before reaching the Gaza border fence. An additional two were released during the Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange. Two hostages remain in captivity.

Tanks from the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) Paran Brigade, and the Shaldag Unit, only regained control of the kibbutz after midnight, clearing it of militants either by killing or chasing them away.

Background

The kibbutz was established in 1977 in the Sinai and was transferred to the Negev as part of the 1982 Egypt–Israel peace treaty. In it had a population of in 53 families.

Attack

At 6:30 on the morning of 7 October, 20 militants from the Al-Qassam Brigades invaded the kibbutz and began a house by house attack on the residents. There was evidence that many residents were still asleep or eating breakfast when the attack began.

The Hamas militants went from house to house shooting at the metal shutters of safe rooms to determine from noise from within whether they were occupied. They then attempted to breach occupied safe rooms using grenades and shooting. When they were able to breach the safe rooms they killed the occupants. In several cases they returned to houses and set them alight to force any occupants to exit.

Rotem Mathias described his mother hiding him under a blanket and lying on top of him to protect him as they heard militants outside. He heard the militants break in with grenades and kill his parents After militants broke into her home, Adi Vital-Kaploun was killed in front of her 4-year old and 4.5-month old sons who were taken captive.

Before entering their safe room Anat Dymshits and her father saw neighbors’ houses being lit on fire. Anat managed, together with three other residents, to save one neighbour from her burning house by pulling her out of a window. Anat then returned safely to her house. At the same time, her parents managed to dampen the area so the fires did not spread. Dymshits and her father, Yosef Rozhansky (67), were hiding in her safe room with her mother, grandmother, her four children and their dog. They describe how militants tried to breach the room by throwing a grenade at the door. Although this was unsuccessful at gaining entry, shrapnel from the grenade went under the door injuring the three elderly adults Rozhansky lost his leg and one of her daughters.

Avital Aladjem was hiding in her house with her neighbour Hayim Katsman. When militants broke into her house and shot them, Katsman protected her with his body. She was unharmed and taken captive with the Vital-Kaploun children.

Yuval Rabivo heard that militants wanted to kill men first so he went and stood outside hoping they would kill him but leave his wife, Ilan, and his children alone. He was not attacked. Husband and wife Nir and Adam and their children survived because Adam was able to hold the door shut against militants trying to gain entry.

Shir Azoulai, is another resident whose safe room was not breached, although her house was ransacked twice. She managed to save a neighbour who had already succumbed to smoke fumes in the neighbour's safe room. Naama and Gideon Kovani sheltering in their safe room heard that their next door neighbour had been killed and her daughter was hiding in a closet. Naama encouraged Gideon to save the child, which he managed to do without incident.

Withawat Kunwong, a Thai employee of the kibbutz reported being attacked in his hiding place by what he described as a Palestinian wearing civilian clothes and wielding a knife. He fought the person but was left for dead with severe throat wounds. Fellow employees found him and looked after him. He credits his survival to the bluntness of the knife which left him with jagged scars. He returned to his wife and children in Thailand once he recovered.

There is no indication of organized defense by the kibbutz. Some residents are noted as having weapons, but only two are reported as actively using these against the militants. Shimon Azoulai, a resident, had a weapon and fought militants "where he could", but he said he did not have much impact. He survived the attack. Avi Korin, the only member of the security team mentioned, did oppose the militants. He was initially thought to have been taken hostage, but was later declared to have died during the attack.

Michael Raitzin, a resident of the kibbutz, and the head of the criminal investigation unit of the police in the largest Bedouin city in Israel, Rahat, which is close to the kibbutz. He was on leave in the day of the attack, but heard from his colleagues at around 7:30 that an incursion had occurred, although at that time he did not realise the scale. Armed with his service pistol, he prepared to go and assist in Rahat. However, when he got to his vehicle he observed 20 heavily armed militants. Realising he could not fight them with his handgun, he fired random shots to distract them, and managed to return to his house via an indirect route. He spent the rest of the day at the window of his house intending to protect his wife and children if necessary. His house was not attacked.

ZAKA volunteers reported that grenades had been thrown into houses, people shot, and vehicles blown up as residents tried to flee. The Paran Brigade and Shaldag Unit, only regained control of the kibbutz after midnight.

Paran Brigade woman tank operators helped clear Kibbutz Holit of dozens of Hamas militants. Their three tanks were ordered to leave their Egyptian border position and they took part in suppressing the militants, killing 50 in 17 hours. Near Holit the tanks ran over two militants, and on arrival they broke down the kibbutz gate. They took fire from two groups of militants who they either killed or chased away, clearing the kibbutz of militants.

Damiel Kukushkin, who had been sheltering in his safe room the whole day heard the tanks arrive at 17:00. Since the IDF cleared houses one at a time, they only released him from his house at 19:30. As a former paramedic he helped the IDF identify bodies. He reported seeing "mountains" of Hamas militants’ corpses.

Casualties and hostages

Twelve residents of the kibbutz, including a Holocaust survivor, a member of the kibbutz security team and Israelis with dual nationality from the United States, Canada and Argentina were killed. Three foreign workers were killed during the attack. The deceased includes a Moldavian employee who was the carer for the Holocaust survivor. It also includes two unnamed Nepalese workers who were killed, but no further details are available for them.

At least eight members of the kibbutz or their visiting families were injured. They all recovered. One Thai worker was injured, but recovered.

Families in the kibbutz

Ridler / Busko

Moshe Ridler and his Moldavian carer, Petro Busko, were killed during the attack. Ridler was born in Romania in 1931, and was sent to a concentration camp in Eastern Europe in 1941, when he was 9. He managed to escape when he was 11 and eventually made his way to Israel. His mother and sister did not survive the Holocaust.

Mathias Family

Shachar Mathias (English name Deborah, but she went by her Hebrew name), a dual American-Israeli citizen, and her husband Shlomi Mathias were peace activists living in Holit with their 16-year-old son Rotem. Their 19 and 21-year old daughters also lived separately in the Kibbutz. Her father, Ilan Troen, is professor emeritus of Israel Studies at Brandeis University, and at Bar-Ilan University of the Negev. They were talking on the phone on the morning of the attack when she said she heard gunshots, breaking glass and Arabic being spoken, after which the conversation was cut. The next Troen and the family heard was a message from Rotem on the family text group saying: "Mom and Dad are dead. I'm sorry. Please send help." Although he was shot in the stomach help did not arrive for another 13 hours.

He said the noise his mother heard were militants breaking into the house. His mother ordered him to lie under some thick blanketing and then lay over him shielding his body with hers. As the militants broke into their safe room Rotem heard two explosions which he thought were grenades. He then heard shots, and his father screaming as he died. He felt his mother's body twitch on top of him and then she was still. Her body protected him from most of the bullets except for one which entered his stomach, but was not fatal, since her body absorbed the bullet's impact.

Through the family text channel various family members, including a doctor and a trauma specialist, coaxed Rotem through his ordeal. They encouraged him, made him slow his breathing and when the militants returned to burn the house, told him not to go outside. They eventually led the IDF rescuers to him. He was taken to hospital, operated on, and eventually recovered from the injury. He asked to keep the bullet in memory of his parents. He is receiving trauma therapy, and said initially wanted to commit suicide, but decided against this because it would not honor his parents' sacrifice for him.

Kaploun-Vital / Katsman / Aladjem

The experiences during the attack of Adi Kaploun-Vital and her two sons, Hayim Katsman and Avinat Aledjem are connected. They were all residents of the kibbutz on the day of the attack, but the three families are not related. Katzman is credited with saving three neighbors. He died using his body to protect Aladjem from militant bullets. Aladjem subsequently saved the two Kaploun-Vital children from being kept hostage which lead to them being reunited with their father. Their mother was killed during the attack.

After the attack began Kaploun-Vital hid in her house with her sons. At around 12:30, she messaged her husband, who had stayed overnight at another kibbutz, not to return home, which probably saved his life. Militants broke into her house and killed her. They booby-trapped her body and hid it under a bed, so if anyone pulled the body out it would have exploded. Since it took a while for the IDF to clear houses and disarm traps like these, Kaploun-Vital was initially considered missing rather than killed, until her body was found. The militants took the children hostage. At some point the oldest child (4-years old) was shot in the leg. The baby (4.5-months old) was later treated for breathing problems.

They next broke into the home of Aladjem, where she was hiding with Katsman. They shot them, killing Katsman, but his body shielded Aladjem from harm. They took her hostage with the Kaploun-Vitil children. She and the children were marched through the kibbutz towards Gaza with one of the militants carrying the older child because of his injury. She reports that they saw scenes of death and destruction, with shots being fired and houses being burnt.

Just before the Gaza border (Aladjem reports being able to see Gazan houses), the older child began screaming that he did not want to go. The militant eventually put the boy down and told them to go. In a video released by Hamas of this moment, Aladjem, who is holding the baby under her dress, is seen walking towards the boy (see screenshot). She bends down and hugs him, and they start walking hand-in-hand in a different direction from which the militants walk. Aladjem describes avoiding other militant groups by hiding behind sand dunes, and eventually meeting IDF soldiers who escorted them back to the kibbutz in time to be evacuated with the other survivors. The boys were later reunited with their father.

There was controversy related to the video. Hamas characterized it as them showing mercy by releasing a mother and her children a couple of days after the attack. It was subsequently confirmed by Aladjem that the video showed her and Kaploun-Vital's two sons, being released on the day of the attack, with Kaploun-Vital already having been killed by this point.

Ziyadne family

Yousef Hamis Ziyadne is a Bedouin from Rahat. He and his two sons, Hamza and Bilal worked in the cowshed of the kibbutz. His daughter, Aisha, was visiting them on the morning of the attack to have a picnic. After the attack they were missing but it wasn't certain if they had been taken captive or killed.

During the hostage release negotiations it became apparent that the family had been taken captive to Gaza. Bilal, the younger son, and his sister, Aisha, were released as part of the Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange. Their father and brother are still held captive. Yousef has high blood pressure and is a diabetic, requiring injections. Bilal said that although he told their captors that the family was Arab, he was told that they were still being taken captive. He said the family were provided with enough food to not go hungry, and were each given a mattress, blanket and pillow for sleeping. The family was more scared of Israel air strikes than Hamas. He was concerned for the remaining hostages because he knew what they were experiencing.

Hamas video of children being shown compassion

In the video announcement released at dawn on 7 October, where Mohammed Deif (the leader of the Qassam Brigades) called for others to join the attacks, and gave numerous violent suggestions, he also said, ar, لا تقتلوا الشيوخ والأطفال, , Do not kill the elderly and children. Quote in ar, link=no , . لا تقتلوا الشيوخ والأطفال، وأزيلوا هذا الدنس عن أرضكم ومقدساتكم. , , . Do not kill the elders and the children, and remove this desecration from your land and your sanctuaries. And in explaining the reasons for the attacks he was particularly critical of Israeli attacks on children, women and the elderly. In 2014, an airstrike aimed at him killed his 3 year old daughter, his infant son, and their mother, but the speech did not directly mention his personal experience.

Hamas released a video on their Telegram channel on 8 October 2023 allegedly taken on 7 October 2023 during the Holit attack. The video shows a toddler and baby who are purported to be Israeli children, being interacted with in a friendly way by Hamas militants. The toddler is seen in conversation with a militant who has his arm around the child's shoulder. He is subsequently seen drinking after being instructed to say "Bismilla" (in the name of God) before the drink. The baby is seen held by a militant and then pushed backwards and forwards in a pram. The message of the video is given between these scenes by another militant while holding the toddler and baby (see screenshot). The militant loudly in Arabic says: "Look how merciful our hearts are. We aren't killing children like you are."

The IDF responded to the video of the Holit children by retweeting it on its X channel with the wording: "You can see their injuries, hear their cries and feel them trembling from fear as these children are held hostage in their own homes by Hamas terrorists and their parents lie there dead in the next room. These are the terrorists that we are going to defeat."

The video has not been directly verified by any media outlet. The IDF response seems to indicate it is a video of Israeli children, on the day of the attack, with their dead parents nearby. Their response does not indicate or dispute the venue. There has been no further news of the welfare of the children or their parents after the release of the video.

Details of casualties and hostages unfolding over time

''Groups of people highlighted by colour, have linked stories covered above.''

Aftermath

Survivors evacuated

Survivors were initially evacuated to Kibbutz Gvulot, which while still being situated in the north-western Negev desert, is much further inland and was not attacked. They were then moved to Kibbutz Ein Gedi, near the Dead Sea, which had housed Holit refugees after earlier trouble on the Gaza border.

Michael Raitzen didn't relocate to Ein Gedi as he had to report for work in Rahat the next day at 8:00. The chief of police had been killed, and Raitzen's deputy had been injured. It took the police several days to clear Rahat of militants.

Treatment of children's trauma

Children from the kibbutz, now living at Kibbutz Ein Gedi, are participating in "hug" therapy to help them deal with their trauma. The therapy developed by Dr. Shai Hen-Gal uses a stuffed dog doll to assist in the children's treatment. President Isaac Herzog and his wife, were introduced to the children on a 20 November 2023 visit. The therapy method was explained to them, and mothers and children discussed how the method helped the children deal with the trauma they suffered during the 7 October attacks.

Reactions

The residents have mixed feeling about returning to the kibbutz when they are able to. Children in particular have expressed fear of doing so. Many have expressed the desire to remain at the kibbutzim to which they were evacuated, which are not close to Gaza.

Several resident volunteers have returned to the kibbutz to look after the farm animals and other essential functions. This includes Olga Chagin, Daniel Kukushkin's mother, who spends two 5-hour sessions working in the barn. She considers herself to be back home. Rotem Mathias has said that he will return to work on the kibbutz when he is 18 to honor his parents’ memory.

Calls for a cease fire and peace talks

Residents are generally supportive of the continuation of the Israel–Hamas war. However, one family, that of Hayim Katsman who was killed during the attack, have been outspoken in calling for an immediate cease fire, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and talks to find a diplomatic solution. Katsman was an academic researching in the field of radicalisation of religious Zionist communities. He had just received his PhD from the University of Washington with a dissertation dedicated to "all life forms that exist between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea." mphasis added He was a peace activist who was described as:
* A teacher, advocate, and trusted friend to the Palestinian farming communities of the South Hebron hills,
* Volunteering to defuse tensions between Palestinians and Jewish settlers before they escalated to violence,
* Volunteering in the gardens of Rahat, a Bedouin town,
* Volunteering at Academia for Equality, supporting Palestinian academics in Israel,
* One of the few ex-IDF soldiers who publicly testified for Breaking the Silence, which is vilified by the government for its human rights work, and
* A DJ of Arabic music.

Katsman's sibling, Noy, who is also a peace activist, said their brother would not want his death to be used to justify retribution against Palestinians. They said: "I don't want anything to happen to people in Gaza like it happened to my brother — and I'm sure he wouldn't want that either." Their mother agreed that Katsman “wouldn't want innocent people to be killed." During Katzman's funeral Noy eulogised their brother as "...even in the face of Hamas people that murdered him...e wouldstill speak out against the killing and violence of innocent people." Noy also wrote an opinion piece for The Nation with the title "My Brother Was Slaughtered on October 7. I Know He Would Be Calling for a Cease-Fire", expressing similar sentiments, and saying that their brother would not be able to "stomach the moral stain" of innocent people dying to avenge his death.

Calls for retribution

The Canadian-based family of Adi Vital-Kaploun were horrified by how she died and her sons were treated. The spokesperson said they did not want the Israeli government to negotiate with the militants but rather to punish them. He compared the attack to the September 11 attacks and said: "The retaliation we're expecting is literally the annihilation of the entire strip."

Shachar and Shlomi Mathias were also peace activists. They helped create a duel medium Hebrew-Arabic school which they sent their children to because they felt that dialogue was the best way to reach a peaceful solution. However, their family have made statements supportive of retribution. Her father Professor Ilan Troen described his daughter and son in law as "idealists" and said that "This is a family that was committed to peace."

Shachar's brother likened the killing of his sister to that of their great-grandmother who also defended her child, their grandmother, by hiding her under a bed and protecting her with her body in 1909 in what is now the Ukraine. He cannot reconcile the manner of his sister and brother-in-law's death with the way they always stood for reconciliation with their Arab neighbours. He compared the attacks to a pogrom and said that "We don't want anyone else harmed, but God you have to defend yourself. You can't let this go."

See also

*2023 Israel–Hamas war
* Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
* List of massacres during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
* Palestinian political violence
* Moshe Dayan's eulogy for Ro'i Rothberg
* List of massacres in Israel

References

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2023 massacres of the Israel–Hamas war
Terrorist attacks attributed to Palestinian militant groups
21st-century mass murder in Israel
2023 mass shootings in Asia
Mass shootings in Israel
October 2023 events in Israel
Mass kidnappings in the 2020s
2023 Hamas attack on Israel
Massacres in Israel during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict