Innocent Lives Tragically Lost: Unveiling the Grim Realities of Hamas Attack on Israeli Kibbutz

Israeli residents and Palestinian militants were found dead outside of destroyed homes in the Israeli kibbutz Kfar Aza on Tuesday. This followed a surprise attack by Hamas, where heavily armed fighters crossed the border from Gaza and wreaked havoc in rural communities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), accompanied by a CNN team and other foreign press, visited the area to retrieve the deceased individuals, including children, women, and the elderly.

The shocking revelations of the border community attacks are only now starting to emerge. Kfar Aza is among the numerous kibbutzim, agrarian settlements, that suffered the most from Hamas' ground assault on Saturday.

These kibbutzim have a long history dating back to the establishment of Israel, where small groups of individuals founded communities centered around collective living. According to the Jewish Agency for Israel, approximately 250 kibbutzim exist in Israel, housing about 125,000 people. These kibbutzim were often seen as symbols of a prosperous and secure existence.

Israel has responded by launching a relentless aerial assault on Gaza, resulting in the destruction of countless homes, schools, medical facilities, and government buildings in the blockaded territory. The death toll in Gaza, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, now stands at 900, including 260 children and 230 women, while an additional 4,500 individuals have been wounded.

On Tuesday, October 10, in Ashkelon, Israel, mourners gathered at the funeral of Eden Guez, who tragically lost her life while attending a music festival. The festival was targeted by terrorists from Gaza, resulting in at least 260 casualties, as confirmed by Israeli authorities at the Nova Festival.

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Israeli military personnel were seen bearing a deceased individual on October 10 in Kfar Azza, an Israeli village located adjacent to the Gaza border. The Israel Defense Forces informed CNN that Hamas militants perpetrated a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their recent wave of assaults.

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Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.

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Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.

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Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.

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Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10.

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Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10.

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A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.

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Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.

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A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.

People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9.

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The ruins of the Yassin mosque are seen in the Shati refugee camp just outside Gaza City on October 9.

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Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.

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Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.

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Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

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Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9.

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Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

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Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

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The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.

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Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.

An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

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Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.

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Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

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A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

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An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

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Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.

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Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.

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Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

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Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

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A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7.

From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.

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Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.

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Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.

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Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.

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An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.

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Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

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A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.

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Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.

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Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.

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An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.

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A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.

A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.

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Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.

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People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

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In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza

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Massacre in Kfar Aza

Hamas militants perpetrated a horrific act of violence in Kfar Aza during their recent attacks, resulting in the merciless slaughter of women, children, toddlers, and elderly individuals. These ruthless actions were carried out in a manner reminiscent of the ISIS terrorist organization, as reported by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to CNN on Tuesday.

Burned out buildings are seen in the aftermath of a Hamas raid on Kfar Aza, in southern Israel.

Major General Itai Veruv, speaking to CNN on Tuesday, expressed astonishment at the unprecedented nature of the situation. He stated that in his 40-year career of service, he had never witnessed anything of this magnitude and never could have envisioned it. Veruv made these remarks shortly after Israeli troops successfully secured the Kfar Aza kibbutz from Hamas militants.

Veruv reported that his soldiers endured a grueling 48-hour battle against a relentless onslaught of terrorists both on the roads and in nearby communities. He recounted how the fighting commenced on Saturday in the Yakhini moshav and continued with successive battles along the route to Sderot, ultimately culminating in their arrival at the Beeri kibbutz on Monday evening.

Veruv vividly described witnessing hordes of heavily armed terrorists, donning complete armor and equipped for utmost destruction, mercilessly infiltrating apartments and rooms, ruthlessly taking the lives of innocent infants, mothers, and fathers.

Muhammad Darwish from CNN reported that Veruv, who had retired from the IDF eight years prior, was taken aback by what he witnessed when he hastily joined the counter-offensive efforts on Saturday morning.

"I have heard about the pogroms in Europe, the Holocaust, of course, during my childhood. My entire family hails from Europe, and they are all survivors. However, I never anticipated witnessing...

Beeri

Over 100 bodies were discovered in Beeri on Monday, where Israeli authorities and verified videos from CNN confirm that civilians were both killed and held captive in the kibbutz. The tightly secured border wall separating Gaza and Israel was breached by heavily armed militants on motorbikes at approximately 7 a.m., as depicted in the videos.

Obtained by CNN

A bloodbath followed.

Militants were captured on camera pulling three bodies out of a car, stealing the vehicle, and heading north. The video, originally shared on Telegram, was recorded by a surveillance camera in Beeri. CNN has pinpointed the location of the video to an intersection in the northeastern portion of the kibbutz.

In a separate video confirmed by CNN, armed militants can be seen holding five Israeli civilians hostage, while another video shows four bodies lying on the ground close by.

Mapbox

Out of the 107 bodies found after the incident, the majority belonged to the kibbutz's local residents, while some belonged to Israeli security forces, according to a search and rescue spokesperson who informed CNN. The IDF stated on Monday that Beeri had suffered extensive damage.

"We initially anticipated a greater need for additional rooms to accommodate the evacuees. However, it turned out that not all the rooms were required," stated IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.

Coinciding with the attack on Beeri, Hamas militants targeted a music festival named Nova, situated merely three miles south. In a shocking act, they mercilessly shot attendees at close range and shamelessly seized their possessions.

More than 260 remains were subsequently discovered at the festival location, with numerous participants thought to have been taken captive and transported to Gaza, initiating an urgent exploration conducted by relatives and international authorities.

Urim

Wayne Lucas, a native of Virginia, is currently serving as a "lone soldier" in the IDF and residing in Urim. He revealed that he had conversations with numerous friends who were hiding in their homes to avoid the terrorists. As the day progressed, he became aware of attacks that occurred closer to his own location.

He shared, "We discovered that a person from our kibbutz, whom I am familiar with and whose family accommodates lone soldiers, was targeted at the junction near our kibbutz, close to the gas station. Fortunately, he was only wounded in the hand from a gunshot."

Israeli airstrikes have reduced the Ahmed Yassin mosque in Gaza City to rubble. The relentless bombardment by Israel overnight and into October 9 is part of the ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in a staggering death toll of over 1,100 Palestinian militants. Visual evidence of the destruction can be seen in the photograph captured by MOHAMMED ABED. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

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Before and after images show Gaza mosque devastation

"Shortly after 1:30 in the afternoon, the sound of gunshots echoed from within the kibbutz. Instantly abandoning everything, we sprinted to the secure shelters. Hastily locking the doors, we sought to fortify ourselves inside. Some among us equipped themselves with crude weapons, such as knives and random objects," Lucas recounted.

All Israeli buildings constructed after 1993 are mandated to include bomb shelters - fortified spaces boasting concrete walls and heavy steel doors. However, these safe rooms are primarily designed to withstand rocket attacks, not armed invasions. While the doors are undeniably weighty, they lack locks by design, as lockability would compromise safety measures.

A soldier from Urim described hearing gunfire but not being able to reach the shelter in time. Speaking to CNN, the soldier, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared his fear upon hearing a round of six bullets fired near his room. Unsure of what to prioritize in that moment, he wondered whether to hide, lock his door, find a weapon, or run to the nearest shelter. Unfortunately, there was no ideal place to hide, so he ended up seeking refuge in his closet. Both the soldier and Lucas confirmed that once they received the all-clear signal, an Israeli army unit was already present and had apprehended multiple militants attempting to storm the kibbutz.

CNN's Muhammad Darwish and Nic Robertson reported from Kfar Aza, Israel. Amir Tal reported from Jerusalem, Artemis Moshtaghian from New York, and Ivana Kottasová from Tel Aviv. Sana Noor Haq wrote from London. Reporting contributions were also made by Martin Goillandeau, Paul P. Murphy, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Kathleen Magramo, and Ruba Alhenawi.