Two commanders from Israel’s elite police units described harrowing combat and moments of heroism during the Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Mefalsim, one of the deadliest days for Israeli forces in the Gaza border region.
Superintendent A. of the Gideonim unit and Superintendent S. of Yamam recounted chaotic engagements with armed Hamas terrorists, rescue operations under fire, and a desperate fight to contain the assault as it unfolded across multiple locations.
According to findings from Lahav 433, the Israel Police’s national crime-fighting unit, the terrorists had planned to continue their assault northward, into central Israel.
'No authority, no army to respond'
Superintendent A., commander of the Gideonim’s 33rd Division, said his unit was deployed early in the morning and rushed south in separate teams. At the Sha’ar HaNegev junction, he encountered confusion after an exchange of fire between soldiers and police. They had reported terrorists in a nearby field.
“I said I was protected and went in,” he said. “We saw figures, moved toward them, shouted in Arabic—and only then realized they were survivors from the Nova music festival who had fled into the fields. They were mistaken for terrorists.”
Upon reaching Kibbutz Mefalsim, he said his unit was directed to the regional division headquarters, where scenes of carnage awaited. “Route 232 was full of bodies and burned-out vehicles. We advanced toward the eucalyptus avenue—this was the Black Arrow memorial site, unlike Route 232, which was filled with security forces,” he said.
There, his team encountered Maglan soldiers and came under heavy fire. Two terrorists were killed in the exchange. He described how a subsequent encounter left two of his fighters critically wounded.
“One was shot in the head and later recovered from a coma. The other was hit in the aorta,” he said. “We loaded them into a vehicle, but I had no way to treat them. Route 232 was scorched. There was no authority, no army to respond. We evacuated them and asked to transfer them to Ashkelon.”
With only four fighters left, the team was surrounded. “There was gunfire from every direction. Terrorists were in the trees—30 to 40 of them driving around with machine guns,” he said. Reinforcements picked up their distress signal and rushed to assist, taking up positions at the memorial site’s entrance while his team held the line deeper inside.
“We held the memorial site for hours under relentless fire. We tried to coordinate air support, but couldn’t. The terrorists were like ants among the trees.”
15 battle zones, 150 terrorists killed
Superintendent S., deputy commander of Yamam, said his unit operated across 15 separate combat zones that day. He described the situation as fluid and dangerous but said the teams achieved tactical successes.
“Every area we entered—we secured. We eliminated more than 150 terrorists. But we paid a heavy price: nine of our fighters were killed,” he said.
He was deployed at 7:30 a.m. to the Yad Mordechai junction, where he encountered the first wave of Hamas terrorists. After regrouping in Sderot with eight fighters, they proceeded to Sha’ar HaNegev, which was completely blocked and had three wounded personnel on the scene.
“There was no intel. We didn’t know where the terrorists were. We realized the junction was full of ambushes and went in,” he said.
The fighting around the junction, dense with trees and vegetation, was fierce. Six Yamam fighters were killed during the battle, but the unit broke through and began clearing the area.
Superintendent A. credited the Shujaiya Battalion with a critical tactical decision that disrupted the terrorists’ plan for a deep incursion.
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“They chose a key point to secure, and we surprised the terrorists just as they were surprising us. That threw off their plans,” he said.
Later that day, Yamam forces advanced to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where they rescued hostages—some from their homes—under fire. With few supplies left, including just two grenades, the unit used a local WhatsApp group to coordinate with residents and gain their trust.
“One of my fighters was from a nearby community,” Superintendent S. said. “That helped convince families to come out.”