The entrance sign to the road of Kibbutz Be'eri continues to display Tamar Kedem's election sign. Clean, without a scratch – and around it is soot. Her sign survived, but she, her husband and their three children were slaughtered and suffocated by the fire in Nir Oz.
Another meter in the car, more soot, more shrapnel, and here we are in another moment. Close the windows, but the smell starts to enter it. Soldiers direct us to a crowded road adjacent to a fence. You get out of the car, and then there's pressure in your chest.
Many were murdered or are still listed as missing. Bodies covered near a building destroyed by terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
A Hamas motorcycle with a baby bimba next to it accurately shows the balance of power that existed here on Saturday morning. Coffee cups that have already dried in the yard of the house tell about the element of surprise. You enter the first house, and the clock seems to have stopped, but the digital clock on the microwave continues to display digits. A discarded passport, clothes, books, shoes, luggage, everything is scattered everywhere. So many items that can tell a story of a beautiful and happy life. But not now – every home is a fighting story. The soldiers in the field tell of houses from which 10 bodies were exhumed. I didn't ask exactly where he was.
I saw hand marks smeared with blood. Later, I watched a bloody dog with defecations next to him, and his body was already decomposing. Cars and large houses were burned intact, and the same Hamas terrorists burned their occupants. More than a tenth of the locals were murdered or are still missing. It is doubtful whether Bari can be rehabilitated.
"The terrorists made a killing video." Bodies covered near a building set on fire by terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"I've seen it all over the years – but it's something else."
The tour for the Israeli and international media that took place on the kibbutz was led by IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Daniel Hagari and former commando brigade commander Oz Brigade Commander Kobi Heller. Hagari said Barry was a major focal point in the war zone, so it was important for the media to see with their own eyes what happened there. "This is my first time here, and it looks like an area that has been subjected to war and massacre. There are no words, no way to express what you see here," he described.
"The kibbutz suffered a very severe blow, along with the communities adjacent to the fence," he added. "The community is now under full control of IDF forces, as are the other communities. We scan the space. The fighting continues in the entire arena of war, it continues in Gaza and it continues in the north – the IDF is fully prepared, in defense, in capabilities and in any scenario."
IDF Spokesperson Hagari and Brigadier General Kobi Heller // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
For his part, Heller said: "Like many other commanders and fighters, as soon as we heard what was happening here, we came from all the back axes. At every point where there was an encounter, there is no way it didn't end with the bodies of the terrorists – but it came at a heavy price. We evacuated a great many casualties, both dead and wounded, but the events ended very clearly in this context."
"One of the main tasks we were on was the nature party," he elaborated. "After two days of fighting, we began evacuating the bodies of 230 young men and women who were at the party. The sights were harsh. I've seen everything over the years of my military service, met with everything possible – but that's something else. They came here to massacre people, they made a killing video on everyone. We met mignonias where 15-10 people entered, they threw grenades into them, fired into them and burned some of them. People were burned alive."
"The kibbutz suffered a very severe blow." A building set on fire by terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri,
He continued his harsh description: "What happened here cannot be explained. From house to house, from street to street, certainly here at Kibbutz Be'eri, there are very significant stories of heroism of the residents and of the alert squads."
Regarding the reserve forces, Heller said: "The training of the reserve brigades that have enlisted is currently at a very significant increase in readiness for continued defensive and offensive missions, I leave very encouraging. People arrived in large numbers and with high motivation, very willing to enter the Gaza Strip and carry out all the tasks they needed. They are engaged in increasing the readiness of the forces and bringing the entire order of battle to the starting points for entry into the Gaza Strip in the best way possible.
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