| Battle of Sufa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theOctober 7 attacks | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Hamas |  Israel | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| At least 30 | 6 armed kibbutz residents | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 60 killed[4] | Unknown | ||||||
 | |||||||
On 7 October 2023, as part of theQassam Brigades-initiatedOctober 7 attacks on Israel, a series of coordinated armed incursions into theGaza Envelope, around 30 militants fromHamas' Qassam Brigades attackedKibbutz Sufa and then overran a nearby military outpost.[5]
Around 7:30am, Hamas militants motorbikes indiscriminately fired guns and rocket launchers at people on the streets before arriving at the gates of Kibbutz Sufa. Once inside the kibbutz, militants went door-to-door shooting anyone in sight, including inside people's homes at point blank range. For an estimated 6 hours, six armed residents of the kibbutz fought off the Hamas militants until theIsrael Defense Forces arrived.
Three Israeli civilians were killed in the attack on the kibbutz. Twenty Hamas militants were killed, and 10 were captured by Israeli security forces.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack onIsrael at approximately 6 a.m., firing rockets and conducting a major ground and air assault against Israeli targets around theGaza Strip, engaging civilians and military personnel alike.[6][7][8]
By about 7:30am, Hamas militants reachKibbutz Sufa, similar to when other militants reachKerem Shalom, suggesting close coordination between different groups of militants.[9]
According to footage captured by Hamas militants wearingGoPro cameras, militants on motorbikes indiscriminately fired guns and rocket launchers at people on the streets before arriving at the gates of Kibbutz Sufa. According toCNN, a militant fired shots into the town from a moving motorcycle, displaying the indiscriminate nature of the attack. Militants then climbed over the yellow front gates in whatThe Telegraph called a coordinated maneuver, walking past an unoccupied guard post. The kibbutz had extensive defenses like barbed wire and mechanized gates.[10][9]
After breaching the gate, the Hamas gunmen exchange fire with people inside the kibbutz. Once inside the kibbutz around approximately 7:50am, Hamas militants went door-to-door shooting anyone in sight, at times inside people's homes at point blank range. In one instance, militants find an open loft hatch and shoot inside. Some civilians and security personnel inside homes return fire. Hamas gunmen then shoot the tires of an ambulance found nearby.[10] After hearing an apparent phone ring, a militants shout the Hebrew word for "mother" to lure residents out of hiding.[9]
Six armed residents in the kibbutz fought off an estimated several dozen Hamas militants for six hours until the first IDF units arrived.[11] As Hamas attacks on the kibbutzim unfolded on October 7,a company of all-women tank operators headed from its base inNitzana to theIsrael-Gaza border. From there, one group stayed to guard the border, one crew went toKibbutz Holit and one went to Sufa. According to the IDF, over a 17-hour battle, the all-female tank crews killed 50 Hamas militants, whichParan Brigade leadership credited with halting the Hamas advance further south inside Israel.[12][13][14][15][16]
Three Israeli civilians were killed in the attack on the kibbutz. Twenty Hamas militants were killed, and 10 were captured by Israeli security forces.[11] Israeli authorities recovered anISIS flag on the body of a dead militant at the kibbutz. Israeli authorities stated that the militants planned to raise the flag but were killed by Israeli security forces.[17]
Later in the day on 7 October, Hamas released a video of their militants taking over a military outpost located near Sufa, showing the bodies of Israeli soldiers they had killed.[18] After the outpost was overrun, some of theGolani Brigade soldiers stationed there evaded being captured or killed by hiding inside a bunker on the base. Shortly after the initial assault by Hamas,Shayetet 13 naval commandos were sent to retake the outpost and work in conjunction with other units in the area to rescue hostages and regain control.[1]
The Shayetet 13 commandos were inserted by helicopter, and after a skirmish with Hamas militants, successfully regained control of the outpost and took care of the wounded.[2][3]
The 227 surviving residents of the kibbutz were evacuated to hotels inEilat. On 18 January 2024, 50 families were moved into temporary homes inRamat Gan and 30 families were moved toOfakim, which was also the site of a Hamas attack on 7 October.[19]
The engagement at the military outpost in Sufa became a symbol of theGaza war in Israel, after IDF soldiers fought and stopped the advance of Hamas militants at point-blank range. By mid-January 2024, the Sufa military outpost was one of 13 out of 14 outposts rehabilitated by theTechnological and Logistics Directorate of theIDF.[20]
The photographs published by Reuters were taken two hours after Hamas fired rockets across southern Israel and more than 45 minutes after Israel said gunmen had crossed the border.
