Police present findings on Oct. 7 battle at Kibbutz Be’eri to families of slain officers

Israel Police presented earlier today the main findings of their probe into the battle at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, to bereaved families of officers who were slain during Hamas’s brutal attack on the border community.

A police spokesperson says that, despite the confidential nature of the investigation, Israel Police chief Daniel Levy deemed it important to convey its main points to the bereaved relatives.

The investigation was carried out under Commander Ronen Hagdush and presented to the families by Deputy Commissioner David Filo, head of the police’s operations division.

On the day of the attack, seven officers from the coordination of enforcement operations unit, alongside another Yoav unit officer and a civilian, entered the embattled kibbutz in two armored jeeps. They were ambushed almost immediately by Hamas gunmen, and seven of the eight police officers were killed, after RPGs and later gunfire hit their vehicles.

The fallen officers include Chief Supt. Avi Amar, Police Supt. Vadim Blih, Supt. Dan Ganot, Sgt. Maj. Boris Danilov, Master Sgt. Eliran Abergel, Sgt. First Class Mulugeta Gadif, Sgt. First Class Orel Alon, Sgt. 1st Class Dor Mangadi, alongside slain civilian Ziv Shopen.

In all, 101 civilians and 31 security personnel were killed in Be’eri — a community of around 1,000 residents — and a further 30 residents and two more civilians were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. At least 125 homes in the community were damaged and destroyed during the fighting.