Following October 7th Massacre - Gaza Envelope Private Tour
Join a unique private tour around the Gaza envelope to witness the October 7 massacre tragic events. This is a very emotional trip to follow the brutal killing of the Hamas terror organization and the locations that fought and were destroyed during the invasion.
Tour of The Gaza Envelope after the massacre on October 7th
The horrific events of October 7th, 2023, when Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad bombarded the Gaza Envelope region, have profoundly impacted the communities of southern Israel. To raise awareness and stand in solidarity, I have organized an emotional private tour of sites affected by this brutal massacre.
On this journey through the Gaza Envelope, participants will gain firsthand exposure to the aftermath of the attacks. We will visit Kibbutz Erez, where a man was killed by shrapnel that pierced through his car. At Beit Kama Junction, we will see the remains of a rocket explosion and learn about the Brothers in Arms organization that established a civilian logistic center to help evacuate the people of the Gaza Envelope from rockets and terrorists.
The tour will stop at Kibbutz Reim where the famous " Nova " festival took place, where over 2,000 attendees had only 15 seconds to seek shelter once the warning siren blared, and over 400 young people and military forces were slaughtered by Hamas. We will also visit the Ofakim police station which was under siege and eventually conquered by Hamas. Continue to Kfar Aza, where residential areas faced barrages of rocket fire 70 civilians were killed, and 18 were kidnapped.
Along the way, I will provide context about life under the constant threat of terrorism along the Gaza border. Participants can pay their respects while hearing stories of those affected and learning about regional emergency responses. By bearing empathetic witness to the sites of this massacre, we hope to build bridges of understanding and demonstrate solidarity with communities on the frontier of conflict.
October 7th War and Massacre Background
The Hamas Terror organization launched a surprise attack on Israel at the border of the Gaza Strip and for the first time succeeded in infiltrating dozens of terrorists into Israeli Kibbutzim, Moshavim, and cities in the Gaza Envelope and capturing some of them. This is a declaration of war on Israel and a strategic surprise. Israel's intelligence system failed miserably and did not provide protection and the warning to prepare for war.
Exactly 50 years have passed since Israel was surprised on October 6, 1973, by Egypt and Syria that launched a surprise attack, and it seems like history was repeated.
The attack on Israel and the intelligence failure can be called "Yom Kippur failure number 2".
The terrorist organization Hamas succeeded in surprising Israel. The Israeli intelligence system, both Mossad and the Shin Bet - failed miserably and did not issue a timely warning to the IDF forces ahead of the expected attack.
Hamas misled Israel. The Terror Organization agreed on a relaxation of the order violations on the border fence of the Gaza Strip in exchange for an increase in the Qatari financial grant and an increase in the number of workers from the Gaza Strip who work in Israel.
The Israeli conception that it is possible to calm Hamas in the Gaza Strip with money and the entry of laborers into Israel has completely collapsed.
Hamas succeeded in a strategic deception operation that was planned for a long time, while firing thousands of rockets toward Israel, to infiltrate dozens of terrorists into the settlements in the Gaza Envelope and to bypass the massive 60 km long ground barrier that Israel erected around the Gaza Strip mainly against the penetrating terror tunnels.
Hammas also managed to kill Israeli civilians and soldiers and abduct some of them to the Gaza Strip.
The archi terrorists who planned the surprise operation were Muhammad Daf, the chief of staff of the military wing of Hamas, and Yihie Sinuar. They gave a short message on October 7th morning in which they announced that the Hamas operation was called the "Al-Aqsa Flood" and was intended to put an end to Israeli violations. They also claimed that 5000 rockets had been launched towards Israel the same morning.
Hamas officials claim that the operation was prepared for a long time and coordinated with Iran's "Revolutionary Guards". According to Hammas, they were promised that additional fronts would join the campaign against Israel, for example, Hamas units in southern Lebanon, Hizbullah, and the strategy of "uniting the fronts" would be implemented.
This was a declaration of war on Israel, and Operation Swords of Iron started.
Israel's working assumption, according to which the terrorist organizations and Iran will allow it to collapse from the inside following the great protest wave - was wrong, they waited for the right moment and hit Israel by surprise on a Simhat Torah holiday. Israel was caught with her pants down.
In addition to the harsh Israeli response that should arrive, which received the nickname "Operation Iron Swords", Israel will have to comprehensively change the defense system on the border of the Gaza Strip and the concept of security.
Israel has been in a state of war with the Gaza Strip, attacking targets of the terrorist organizations from the ground and the air in the Gaza Strip ever since, and the main goal is to demilitarize Hamas and Islamic Jihad and also bring back the Hostages. We are facing a difficult period from a security and political point of view.
Beit Kama Junction - The Logistic Center
After a traditional Israeli Breakfast, we head to Beit Kama Junction...
The "Brothers in Arms" movement leaders declared that they were ending all protest activities early on October 7th, 2023, in response to the surprise attack on Israel and the news of the massacre in the south. They also urged the reserve soldiers to defend the state. Simultaneously, on the same day, the protest's infrastructure was transformed to support the security forces and the Hamas massacre survivors.
The movement established emergency centers (in Tel Aviv, Beit Kama, and Eilat) where more than 15,000 volunteers from all over the nation worked on various projects.
Among these initiatives was the rescue of about 2,500 families from the conflict zones to areas under protection during the fighting by the IDF forces, as well as the arrangement of housing for them. Additionally, support was provided to the security forces in their efforts to locate missing individuals by utilizing cutting-edge technological tools, a hot meal program for the families of the wounded, the rescue of animals left in the conflict zones, medical kits, equipment kits for mourning families, and the creation of a memorial and information website in remembrance of the fallen soldiers and the murdered civilians.
Today other sites operating under the same concept, Gilat and Shuva Ahim.
Kibbutz Erez
The Erez kibbutz was founded in 1949. An agricultural community, they are especially famous for their honey. They number 600 people and are proud of their cohesive community, which is more like one big family.
Kibbutz Erez is located 700 meters from the border with Gaza. Not far away is the Erez crossing point to Gaza.
Quiet and beautiful, these communities of the Israel Envelope (formerly known as the Gaza Envelope) are today emptied of some 70,000 residents. Only a few essential workers, farmers, and the most stubborn residents are here. In Erez, two community buildings, have been turned into barracks for the soldiers serving in this area.
10/7 was an invasion, not an infiltration. This was a section of Israeli territory that was under Hamas control for hours. Over 22 different locations were breached in the fence.
The terrorist group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, attempting to invade Kibbutz Erez to slaughter its residents and capture its leaders. Early detection of their arrival allowed the kibbutz emergency squad members to engage in combat with them, which prevented the terrorists from entering. Amir Naim, a standby squad member, lost his life in the fight. In addition, four standby squad members suffered varying degrees of injuries during the battle.
The Erez Border Crossing, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, was the sole civilian crossing point from Hamas-run Gaza into Israel. Every day, thousands of Gazans with permits to work in Israel would proceed through the modern terminal complex; others came in for medical treatment; diplomats, UN officials, and others could drive through.
It was the only avenue of Israel-Gaza coexistence.
Missile attacks (which began in 1997) and fire balloons, make life difficult. Israelis met this challenge by requiring every home built in this area to have a Mamad (safe room of reinforced concrete) in their homes. In addition, there are
Bomb shelters, freestanding and dispersed throughout the kibbutz, can be found at every bus stop and here at Erez. These exquisitely painted pieces of art support people in coping with this reality. When a siren sounds, you have fifteen seconds or less to reach a shelter. Frequently, the rocket's characteristic whistle can be heard before the sirens even go off. To ensure they can hear the warnings, people leave their car windows open while driving.
Ironically, many people living in this area are themselves refugees from Arab lands, and many are peace activists and supporters of a Palestinian state. Many volunteers met Gazans regularly at the Erez Crossing to bring them into Israel for medical care.
Nova Festival Site Near Kibbutz Reim
We'visit aita location close to Kibbutz Reim, where the horrific massacre took place on October 7. At a nature party with 3500 participants close to Kibbutz Reim in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Palestinian terrorists who are members of Hamas and other terrorist organizations carried out the massacre at the Nova festival. At least 347 civilians and 17 police officers tasked with securing the celebration were murdered in the massacre, on the day of Simchat Torah. In modern Israeli history, this is the biggest terrorist attack ever.
Many people called for help in WhatsApp messages, but it was too late. The massacre continued until around noon. It was only many hours after the end of the event that rescue forces managed to reach the scene.
A few of the attendees were able to flee the slaughter by running into the surrounding fields. A few of them took refuge in an orange orchard close by, while others made it to Moshav Patish in the Merhavim Regional Council.
Several festival attendees were abducted by terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip. In addition to the dead and injured. The 21-year-old Herzliya resident Mia Regev was freed on November 25, 2023, and the 25-year-old Roni Kariboy, who holds Russian citizenship, was freed on November 26th, as part of the agreement with Hamas.
Moshav Netiv Haasara
When terrorists using motorized paragliders broke into Israel at 6:30 A.M. on October 7, 2023, during the surprise attack on Simchat Torah, they took control of the moshav for several hours, killing 21 of its residents and kidnapping another. The moshav's residents were evacuated, and it is now closed and used as a military area.
The streets are deserted. The school is empty, and the tennis courts are silent. Patio chairs are in place, flowers bloom, and fruit trees are heavy with their citrus globes. About 200 people remain dispersed throughout various locations, while about 400 have temporarily moved to Mitzpe Ramon.
The original school suffered a direct missile hit some years back. Fortunately, it was Shabbat, and no children were in school. The new school is built from reinforced concrete with no exterior windows (all windows are on the interior patio side), so it also serves as a shelter.
These shelters and safe rooms that are ubiquitous throughout the Western Negev/Israel Envelope failed on 10/7 as they were not meant to withstand an invasion, fires, grenades, and RPG attacks. Many have no doors (all the bus stops shelters), and others have doors that don’t lock. Many thus who sought safety were murdered inside.
Kingfisher Shelter on 232 Road
The Kingfisher Shelter on 232 was made famous as the place where the heroic Aner Shapiro, tossed seven grenades the terrorists threw in The eighth one exploded taking off his arm. He is now a captive in Gaza, with no word for his family! And no visit by the International Red Cross. Hersch his friend was at the back of the shelter, lost his arm, and was taken hostage.
The Site of the Burnt Cars
The burnt car lot, near Moshav Tkuma and the city of Netivot, is a must-see site. In the beginning, it was a logistics center for the Israeli army before they entered Gaza and after a few days it became a "parking lot" where 1,500 vehicles were brought that were shot, burned, or abandoned on the side of the 232 road during the events of October 2023, starting with vehicles of the security forces, vehicles of citizens from the kibbutzim and the site of the Nova Festival and vans and motorcycles of the Hamas terrorists, The vehicles were collected from the roads, the fields, the kibbutzim, the moshavim, the cities and especially from the party area in Reim. Every car here has a story that we will learn.
The cars in the lot are arranged in rows for hundreds of meters, divided by the areas from which they were brought. There are security vehicles parked next to Hamas vans and motorcycles, Nuhba terrorist jeeps, and completely burned-out cars. The burned pieces were piled eight meters high and resembled a rusting metal wall, which will eventually be scrapped and recycled or used to create a commemorative monument.
Soroka Hospital
After lunch, we head to Soroka Hospital. Designated as a Trauma 1 level hospital, with 1175 beds and 5000+ employees, Soroka is the largest hospital in the Israel Envelope. They treated over 670 patients in the first 24 hours.
We will meet with the hospital's deputy director to learn more about how crucial the facility's position was on October 7th. A large-scale attack was being reported, and they realized something terrible was happening. At an emergency meeting at 7:45 AM, they developed an action plan.
All night duty people were requested to stay. All patients who could be safely discharged were released to free up beds. All unprotected treatment areas, including operating rooms, were shut down across this large campus, and all operations and procedures were moved to the safe ORs (8) and treatment areas in the fortified basement. All available medical personnel were summoned. Blood supplies were checked.
Patients arrived by the dozens in ambulances, helicopters, private cars, and military vehicles. Some patients were unconscious, so they had no idea of their identity or medical conditions and medications. All soldiers are registered on a database that provides this information. Teams were assigned the testing and research to identify the unconscious injured. Photographers were tasked with photographing these injured to help identify the victims.
Despite everything in chaos, Soroka Hospital worked hard to establish an environment of composure and effectiveness centered on the patients.
Conclusion
The private tour following the October 7th massacre in the Negev is very special and emotionally difficult, and not a classic touristic experience. On this tour, you can visit all the places where the massacre took place, kibbutzim and moshavim that were hit by missiles, memorial sites, places from which civilians and soldiers were kidnapped by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as well as Soroka Hospital which served as the main hospital for evacuating the wounded.
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SLAVA BAZARSKY
PHONE: +972 53 4779797
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