Jerusalem, 26 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — An internal Israel Defense Forces probe released on Wednesday credited the civilian defenders of Moshav Yated for confronting Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the agricultural community during the attack of October 7, 2023. The report concluded that the army failed to protect the residents, while the local standby squad on its own prevented what could have been a massacre.
The inquiry, led by Brig. Gen. (res.) Itamar Ben-Haim a is one of dozens of probes examining how thousands of Hamas gunmen crossed into Israel, killed approximately 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. Investigators drew on interviews with residents, local security personnel, military radio logs, video footage, intelligence files and reenactments.
According to the report, 11 terrorists infiltrated Yated. The IDF was unable to deploy forces in time due to widespread breakdowns in command, communications and situational awareness.
In the absence of army protection, the moshav’s security coordinator and standby squad mobilized within minutes and, together with armed civilians, detained or neutralized the infiltrators. Their actions, the investigators wrote, prevented mass casualties and blocked further penetration into the community.
The report also detailed heavy fighting outside the moshav on Route 232, where an outnumbered IDF force from the Paran Regional Brigade and the LOTAR regional counter-terror team battled dozens of gunmen attempting to reach Yated. During those engagements, reservist Cpt. (res.) Iftach Gorny, 51, was killed while trying to prevent terrorists from seizing military equipment.
“Without this battle, the moshav would have faced a triple-digit number of terrorists. Gorny’s death was not in vain,” the report said.
The timeline released by the IDF shows that the community was first hit at 6:29 a.m., when Hamas launched a massive rocket barrage across southern Israel. Eleven minutes later, Yated’s security coordinator activated the local standby squad, locked the gates, opened shelters and deployed armed residents. By 9:15 a.m., patrols had detained the first infiltrator, who was discovered near the fence and surrendered.
Minutes later, defenders rushed to a nearby home after a resident reported an Arabic-speaking stranger at her door. Security team members identified a terrorist crawling between houses and opened fire as he fled into nearby brush. Additional infiltrators slipped under the gate and attempted to hide among the houses, but residents encircled them. By 9:45 a.m., four gunmen were subdued in a thicket, while one escaped. All captured assailants were secured in a private home until military forces arrived.
Meanwhile, at 9:40 a.m., the Paran Brigade force advancing on Route 232 came under intense fire from terrorists disguised in military-style clothing. Gorny remained near vehicles to stop the attackers from reaching the brigade’s command equipment. He was shot while moving between jeeps to retrieve keys and was pulled to cover by fellow soldiers, but medics could not save him. At about 10:05 a.m., a Caracal Battalion tank arrived and opened fire under the brigade commander’s direction, reportedly killing about 20 terrorists. A combat helicopter reached the area roughly 40 minutes after first being requested.
The following morning, while military forces continued searching the fields for additional infiltrators, a Yated resident discovered five unarmed gunmen lying on the ground near a breach in the fence. They surrendered immediately and were handcuffed by the standby squad and a Caracal team. Residents were evacuated later that day in escorted convoys.
The IDF’s report concludes bluntly that “the army failed in protecting the moshav” during the critical early hours. At the same time, investigators praised the civilian defenders. “They made correct decisions and acted as expected,” the report states, adding that the volunteer spirit displayed by armed residents was “remarkable.”
In a statement, Moshav Yated said its residents “do not forget those who fell in the battle for the moshav’s defense,” naming Gorny and other victims. The community expressed gratitude both to the local rapid-reaction squad and to the Paran Brigade, saying their actions “saved Yated from catastrophe.”
The IDF has released a series of detailed internal probes examining how roughly 5,000 terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were able to storm Israeli communities and overrun military positions. The reports reveal that the army’s chain of command collapsed amid the chaos as soldiers found themselves vastly outnumbered. Investigators concluded that the IDF misread Hamas’s intentions and misinterpreted intelligence warnings in the days leading up to October 7, while much of the military’s attention remained directed toward potential threats from Iran and its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.
However, an external review of 25 of the reports by a panel of former senior military officers found that many were incomplete or unsatisfactory
The IDF probes only address issues of operations, intelligence, and command—not decisions made by the political echelon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has resisted calls for a formal state commission of inquiry, calling it “politically biased.” Critics accuse him of delaying and weakening the probe. Such commissions, led by senior Supreme Court justices, can summon witnesses, collect evidence, and make recommendations, though the government is not required to follow them.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The bodies of Israeli Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak remain in Gaza.
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