Netiv HaAsara massacre

The Netiv HaAsara massacre[2] occurred during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Thirty-five Hamas militants, some via paragliders and most via car, attacked Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli moshav close to the border fence. The militants killed at least 20 people, including in some cases members of the same family. Before the massacre, the moshav was home to approximately 900 residents.[3]

Netiv HaAsara massacre
Part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel
Netiv HaAsara is located in the Gaza Strip
Netiv HaAsara
Netiv HaAsara
Site of the attack in Israel
Native nameהטבח בנתיב העשרה
LocationNetiv HaAsara, Southern District, Israel
Coordinates31°34′15″N 34°32′22″E / 31.57083°N 34.53944°E / 31.57083; 34.53944
Date7 October 2023; 8 months ago (2023-10-07)
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, war crime
Deaths22
Injured1, others unreported
VictimsNo hostages taken
Perpetrator Hamas Beit Lahia Battalion[1]

Background

Netiv HaAsara, a moshav founded in 1982, is home to a population of 900. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Netiv HaAsara became the closest Israeli community to the Gaza Strip, situated 100 meters from the Palestinian towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanon. Residents in Netiv HaAsara have claimed to witness Hamas militants training.[4]

Attack

As part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on the morning of 7 October, 35 Hamas militants infiltrated Netiv HaAsara, 6 on motorized paragliders and the rest in cars through the breached Gaza–Israel barrier.[4] At the time of the invasion, many residents had fled to their home's safe rooms after the initial rocket barrage at 6am local time. For the first two hours of the invasion, residents did not know that Hamas militants had entered Israeli territory due to the unavailability of power or internet access. The village's security team battled the attackers, and three were killed in the fighting, alongside 21 residents.[5] At some point electricity in the village went out, leaving people trapped in safe rooms without power.[6]

After six hours of the residents fighting with the invading Hamas gunmen, the Israel Defense Forces arrived in the moshav.[4]

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography