In defense of the kibbutz became civilians who do not know how to fight, but have a big heart.
One of The first Israeli settlement to be attacked by Hamas militants on the morning of Saturday, October 7, was Kibbutz Nir Am, where local residents mounted a tough defense and drove off the attackers.
TSN.ua offers you an adaptation of the material BBC, which revealed details of the defense of Nir-Amu.
“We began to kill everyone who approached the fence”
“I took a gun, clothes, a bulletproof vest, and also cigarettes,” Adam calmly recalls the events of that morning when he was pushed out of bed by the sound of gunfire at 06:30 on October 7.
” We started killing everyone who approached the fence,” he says.
Adam, among other villagers, is called the hero of Nir-Am, the savior of his kibbutz, where about 400 people live just 2 km away from the Gaza Strip.
He said that he took the right to repeat one phrase over and over again: “No one will enter Nir-Am, no one will enter Nir-Am.”
Adam is 46 years old and a former special forces soldier, so his face or full name cannot be shown. His head is shaved, he is a boxer, not too big, but you don't want to mess with him. It is obvious that victory will be his.
Adam says that the attack was repelled by other men and women from the kibbutz: “Civilians who do not know how to fight, but have a big heart. Two or three were from special forces and had experience, but the rest… were ordinary men working in IT. Ordinary, but very, very special.”
In total they fought for three or five hours – Adam is not entirely sure. Then there was a lull.
“We didn't let anyone into the kibbutz and no one was hurt.”
Israeli media also tell the story of 25-year-old Inbal Rabin -Lieberman, military security coordinator at Kibbutz Nir Am.
The girl was born and raised in a kibuk, then served in IDF combat units and returned to her home community to become a security coordinator. This post is paid from the budget of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The job is to keep the community safe until the IDF or police can arrive.
They write about Inbal that on the morning of October 7, she “was the first in the entire state of Israel to realize what was happening, ran like crazy from house to house, organized a self-defense detachment and set up men in ambush at the kibbutz fence.”
In Israel they are talking about at least 25 militants died during the attack on this kibbutz.
“We thought it was all over, but then the second wave came, from eight to ten terrorists with machine guns, with rocket grenade launchers… They were about 10-15 meters. I ran towards them, stood and shot, killed… with shots to the head,” said Adam.
How did he feel in the heat of this shootout? “My mind was clear, I am a warrior, I am a fighter, this is what I trained,” the man says.
Adam knew what was at stake. According to him, the residents of Nir-Amu would have been killed in the same way as in other kibbutzim nearby: “They would have run into the houses and killed the women and children. That's why we fought and killed. We did not allow anyone into the kibbutz. No one was hurt.”
Currently, residents of Nir-Am live in a hotel in Tel Aviv. They don't know when they will be able to return. Adam thinks that some will be afraid for a long time.
He is grateful for the hospitality. We were warmly received, it’s like a second home,” he says. “They sent us clothes and food from all over Israel.”
But even here the evacuees are not completely safe. The conversation is interrupted by air raid sirens warning of a new missile strike. Adam calmly leads the journalists to a shelter where families are crowded, some children are crying.
“It doesn’t scare us, we’re from the south. This is normal for us,” says Adam.
He criticizes the Israeli government, especially the failure of the security services to anticipate and prepare for an attack.
These are our leaders. This is a test for them now. They don’t deserve us,” he says.
During the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel, about 1,300 people were killed and at least 150 were captured. Israel responded with airstrikes in Gaza, which also killed about 1,300 people. Israel is also blockading Gaza, preventing fuel and food from entering its territory.
What happens then?
Adam says that most people there are good people in Gaza who want a normal life, but he wants Israel to put an end to the Hamas militants.
“The previous solutions are not helping, we need something much, much stronger,” – he says.
At the same time, he adds that he does not want Israeli troops to enter Gaza. “They [Hamas] want us to do this because they have traps there. This would be wrong.
In Kibuk Nir Am, only one resident died, a young man who was at a music festival that was attacked by Hamas.
On October 13, Israel officially confirmed the order to evacuate residents of the northern Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces called on all residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south within 24 hours. Israel is planning a ground operation in the enclave.
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