Massacre In Holit
Official Report Issued By Kibbutz Holit on August 28, 2025
Holit is a tiny Kibbutz, a few minutes walk to Gaza’s northwest border. Its residents were attacked and some massacred by Gaza savages on October 7, 2023. Here is the official statement from Kibbutz Holit regarding those events.
This week, a year and 10 months after October 7th, the members of Kibbutz Holit were presented with the findings of the military investigation into that terrible day. On October 7, 2023, like other communities in the Gaza Envelope, the members of Kibbutz Holit went through the most challenging day in the country's history— alone. Every family, every person, found themselves locked in a secure room for many hours, without knowing what was happening outside. Information was scarce and came through the sounds of gunfire and explosions, or in fragments of information that managed to get through during communication. As a result, the story of October 7th in Holit is made up of many stories, as many as there are people in the kibbutz. Every story is true. Every testimony reflects the personal battle that every member of the kibbutz was forced to go through that day, and there is a place for everyone. Since that day, alongside the struggle for recovery and rehabilitation, the community members have been working to piece together what happened. Parts of the story are collected from testimonies and limited existing documentation. Unfortunately, there are places and events where we will never know what happened because no one survived to tell the story.
On that day, from the beginning of the fighting at 6:29 AM until close to 2:00 PM, Kibbutz Holit was left alone and was overrun by terrorists. The army did not arrive; there was no defense and no response. On this day, 15 residents of the kibbutz were murdered, 9 were moderately and seriously injured, and many others are still dealing with a difficult emotional and mental state. From Kibbutz Holit, 9 residents were kidnapped, including Avital, Negev, and Eshel, who were released that same day. Four hostages were released in the first deal, and two hostages were rescued in a military operation after they had died in captivity. Almost all of the kibbutz houses were broken into, looted, or burned. It is clear to everyone that if the army had arrived earlier, the number of people murdered would have been lower. An even greater disaster was averted due to exceptional resourcefulness, heroism, courage, and mutual assistance among community members who helped each other.
During that day, kibbutz members went out to rescue the wounded under fire, fought with the few weapons and ammunition they had, and defended Kibbutz Holit themselves, their children, and their families by guarding the secure room doors and preventing terrorists from entering. Beginning around 2:00 PM, military rescue forces arrived at the kibbutz. Some of them were reserve soldiers who had rushed from their homes even before they were called up, and came to fight, defend, and assist. We express our deep gratitude to all who fought to save, rescue, defend, and give hope in a place where it was almost lost. We share in the sorrow of the families of the soldiers who were killed in the battle for Holit and wish a full recovery to the wounded. Since then, and to this day, the kibbutz has been in the heart of an active war zone. The community currently lives in temporary housing, trying to understand what happened and find a way to rebuild their lives. However, it is not possible to rebuild or return to our homes if the security situation does not change fundamentally and if all the hostages have not returned home.
The military investigation is a vital tool in our ability to understand what happened to us on that day. However, this investigation is incomplete and only touches on the military aspects of the fighting in Kibbutz Holit and its surroundings. The kibbutz members did not receive an answer for the reasons and failures that led to the terrible massacre, and there is no detailed answer regarding the events that occurred in the kibbutz during those seven and a half hours when the army did not arrive. Only with the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, a clarification of all the facts and details, the drawing of clear conclusions, and their implementation on the ground, will the community of Holit be able to believe that the reality that brought that terrible day upon us no longer exists. We thank the IDF for conducting and presenting the investigation, for admitting to the failures and omissions, and for taking responsibility. This is an essential step toward restoring trust between the kibbutz members and the army. Kibbutz Holit, one of the smallest communities in the region, located at its southern tip, is engaged in revival, rehabilitation, and growth.
On this day, with the presentation of the military investigation, we expect the Government of Israel to:
• Do everything to bring back the hostages.
• Ensure the safety and security of the soldiers on the borders and everywhere.
• Act with greater effort to rebuild Kibbutz Holit and all the communities of the Tkuma region.
• Establish a state commission of inquiry and investigate thoroughly and deeply the events of October 7th and what preceded it, so that such an event will never happen again.