Battle of Nir Am

Battle of Nir Am
Part of Gaza war
Location   Israel, Nir Am kibbutz 31°31′10″N34°34′51″E / 31.51944°N 34.58083°E / 31.51944; 34.58083
Belligerents
Hamas Other Palestinian militants	Israel
Commanders and leaders
	Yoni Cohen Guy Hayon Inbal Rabin-Lieberman
Casualties and losses
65 killed	2 killed, 1 abducted
Nir am class=notpageimage| Location within Northwest Negev region of Israel Show map of Northwest Negev region of Israel Nir am Nir am (Israel) Show map of Israel

The Battle of Nir Am occurred during the October 7 attacks in Israel, in which militants from Hamas attacked kibbutz Nir Am next to Sderot. The forces of the Golani Brigade and later the Border Guard prevented the militants from penetrating the kibbutz.

Background

On the morning of October 7, 2023, Palestinian militants led by Hamas began an attack on Israel. At least 4,300 rockets were launched at Israel, and approximately 6,000 militants from the Gaza Strip broke through the Gaza–Israel barrier and infiltrated dozens of Israeli settlements and military installations in the Gaza envelope. An estimated 1,195 people were killed in the attacks, and 251 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip. Approximately 1,609 Palestinian militants were also killed. ^[1]

Battle

At least 65 militants attempted to infiltrate kibbutz Nir Am. The kibbutz's security coordinator, Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, instructed an alert squad to prepare for a battle. She placed ambushes around the kibbutz fence, and recruited additional armed men to reinforce the alert squad. Due to rocket fire, the electricity in Nir Am was cut off, and Lieberman ordered the kibbutz's generator not to be turned on to prevent the opening the kibbutz gates. ^{[2] [3]}

Company A of the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, commanded by Major Yoni Cohen, was deployed to defend the kibbutz. The battle began at 6:30 a.m. and lasted about eighteen hours. During the battle, three forces under Yoni's command fought to prevent the militants from reaching the gates. The militants managed to reach the hatchery west of the kibbutz but were stopped by a vehicle checkpoint and an ambush. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

A tank from Battalion 77, commanded by Lieutenant Guy Hayon, took part in the battle. Although the tank was hit by anti-tank fire, the tank and its crew continued the fighting. ^[7]

Two militants who were able to get past the roadblock began running through a plowed field toward the kibbutz. The alert squad and Golani soldiers shot and killed them. One Israeli citizen, Samer Talalka, was taken hostage and was later mistakenly killed by the IDF. ^[8]

During the battle, Corporal Matan Abergil was killed after jumping on a grenade to save the lives of six soldiers with him. ^[9] Later, soldiers from the Border Guard Tactical Brigade were deployed to the kibbutz. They arrived at the kibbutz at 11:15 and continued west toward the hatchery. The tactical unit beat back the remaining militants, killing some of them. ^[10]

See also

• Timeline of the Gaza war (17 October – 26 November 2024)

References

1. "Anniversary of October 7th Attack". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
2. "The Story of Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7th". KAN. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
3. "Thirteen Israeli fighters saved Kibbutz Nir Am from dozens of terrorists". The Jerusalem Post . 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
4. "Ex-soldier fought off Hamas and saved kibbutz neighbours". BBC. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
5. Marks, Rolene (2024-08-27). "Residents return to Kibbutz Nir Am after 10 months' exile". JNS.org. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
6. "How one kibbutz defended itself from Hamas". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 2024-12-18.
7. ""היינו טנק בודד בגזרה, הבנו שאין שם מישהו אחר"" (PDF). Israeli Defense Forces . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
8. Sullivan, Becky (16 December 2023). "3 hostages killed by Israeli soldier in Gaza were waving a white flag, Israel says". NPR. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
9. "Sgt. Matan Abergil, 19: Used body to shield 6 friends from grenade". Times of Israel . Retrieved 2024-12-18.
10. Steavenson, Wendell (20 October 2023). "The kibbutz that fought off Hamas and the Gazan farmers who died trying to get home". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 7 October 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.