The IDF launched an investigation of the incident in which 13 Israelis being held hostage by Hamas terrorists at a home on Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th were killed when an IDF tank shelled the house.
The order to fire at the house was issued by the commander of Brigade 99. It should be noted that many Israelis have expressed anger about the investigation, saying that the commander, who heroically led the battle against the terrorists on the kibbutz, should not be blamed for a decision he made in the heat of the battle. Some say if he hadn’t issued the order to fire at the house, many more Israelis would have been killed.
The only survivors of the incident, Yasmin Porat and Hadas Dagan, testified that the house was shelled by a tank. It is suspected that the commander, who led the battle against the terrorists on the kibbutz, ordered the tank crew to fire at the house despite knowing that hostages were being held there.
The incident became known after the commander was interviewed by the New York Times, in which he said that after negotiations with the terrorists failed, he ordered the tank to “break in, even at the cost of civilian casualties.” In footage captured from an IDF helicopter published by Channel 12 News, the IDF tanks are seen firing shells at the house.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi appointed Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even to lead the investigation and compiled an investigative team that will work in coordination with the Chief Military Prosecutor, ensuring it is not subject to the Chief of Staff’s authority.
Yasmin Porat, one of the two survivors of the incident, told Army Radio that the terrorists were not planning on murdering them but wanted to take them as hostages to Gaza: “They kept on telling us that they wanted to take us to Gaza,” she said. “They didn’t try to scare us, on the contrary, the children – when they heard the word Gaza – began crying, and they said: ‘Calm down, everything is all right, we’re not killing you.'”
At one point, one of the terrorists decided he was going to surrender to the police. He stripped down to his underwear [so it was apparent he was not concealing weapons or explosives] grabbed Yasmin and ordered her to go outside while he used her as a human shield.
Yasmin continued: “The gunfire continued, I screamed – stop the fire! I’m Israeli! Everything stopped.”
“He took me out as a human shield and surrendered to the police together with me and that’s how I was saved.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
“It should be noted that many Israelis have expressed anger about the investigation, saying that the commander, who heroically led the battle against the terrorists on the kibbutz, should not be blamed for a decision he made in the heat of the battle.”
That is a ridiculous argument if you think about it. In the heat of battle is not an excuse. If it were an acceptable excuse it would absolve all negligent decisions in battle, which is obviously not acceptable. They should be trained to make correct judgments in the ‘heat of the battle’ that is where they operate and the consequence of messing up is the potential loss of life.
It certainly warrants an investigation along with corrective measures if deemed appropriate.
Akiva R, merely having the investigation will kill soldiers ch”v. He made the right decision, the only possible decision, and holding an investigation will automatically mean that the next person in such a position will hesitate, ch”v, and as we all know he who hesitates is lost. The politicians must not be allowed to hold an investigation. It is literally pikuach nefashos.