Initial Hamas invasion According to the IDF, around 250 Palestinians attacked the kibbutz on the morning of 7 October 2023, consisting of between 120 and 165 militants from Hamas's
Nukhba forces and 80 other Hamas,
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and unaffiliated militants. Another Palestinian militant group, the
Maoist DFLP, also declared that its troops (organized as
National Resistance Brigades) were fighting the IDF in Kfar Aza. The first six militants entered the kibbutz using
paragliders at 6:42 a.m. under the cover of rocket fire from Gaza. A minute later, militants created a breach in the
Gaza–Israel barrier fence that would be used to attack Kfar Aza. Hamas militants in pickup trucks entered the kibbutz at 6:50 a.m. through two entrances in the north and southwest, while others arrived on motorbikes. Moments earlier, three patrol vehicles belonging to the
Israel Defense Forces were ordered to respond to the attack. One vehicle was ambushed while driving to Kfar Aza, while the other two came under fire in
Sderot. An Israeli tank was stationed outside the kibbutz at 7:25 a.m. and opened fire at militants approaching the community, but did not enter as it was ordered to fight elsewhere. The Islamist militants began by targeting the west side of the community—an area in the kibbutz close to Gaza—where families with young children lived. They captured the entire kibbutz within the first hour of the attack.The corpses of those who had lived in the area were found with their hands tied. A survivor, Avidor Schwartzman, described how he hid with his wife and one-year-old daughter in their safe room for over 20 hours until their rescue by Israeli soldiers.In addition, the militants took 19 hostages from the kibbutz. The
Associated Press visually confirmed four hostages who were abducted on 7 October. The militants took women, children and senior citizens among the hostages back to Gaza. The team battled the invading militants but had ceased functioning as a unit by 8:10 a.m. after seven of its members, including Libstein, were killed and one was wounded. The head of the security team, Tal Eilon was killed after managing to kill three militants together with his father. IDF Brigadier General
Yisrael Shomer, a resident of the kibbutz, set out to defend the kibbutz after updating other generals, including Chief of Staff
Herzi Halevi, on what was happening, initially using a knife before taking a gun from a wounded member of the security team and maneuvering around the kibbutz while firing at militants he encountered. His brother-in-law, kibbutz resident Yuval Salomon, also managed to stab a militant before being killed. A group of 18 soldiers from the
Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion entered the kibbutz at 8:33 a.m. in a
Namer armored personnel carrier. By then, 37 residents of the kibbutz had been killed. They began to search homes in the southern neighborhoods of the kibbutz and engaged in several exchanges of fire with militants. At 8:40 a.m. a group of five soldiers entered the kibbutz, followed by another group of soldiers and police officers at 9:44 a.m. At 9:50 a.m. additional militants entered the kibbutz by breaching the security fence near the "young generation" neighborhood. By 10 a.m., there were around 250 militants and 30 security personnel present in Kfar Aza. As the attack progressed, Israeli soldiers from a total of 24 units entered the kibbutz, including commandos from various special forces units. Additional police forces also entered the kibbutz. On 8 October, a soldier from the
Givati Brigade was killed during a shootout with militants. By 8 a.m., on October 8, some 60% of kibbutz residents had been evacuated but hundreds remained trapped. Fighting continued throughout the day, with the combat zones becoming increasingly contained. By 9 October, 10–20 militants remained at the kibbutz. That day, a soldier from the
Nahal Brigade was killed during combat. On the morning of 9 October,
Shayetet 13 naval commandos were tasked with rescuing the residents still barricaded in their safe rooms. On 10 October, the final phase of the evacuation took place and troops conducted sweeps to find the last remaining militants. By the afternoon, an order was given for all active combat units to withdraw and soldiers of the
55th Paratroopers Brigade moved in to secure the kibbutz. The last combat incident took place at 6 p.m., when soldiers of the 55th Brigade's 28th Battalion spotted and killed the last Hamas fighter, who was wounded and still clutching a knife. == Casualties ==