Video: The destruction left by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Nirim/Walla!
In the early hours of Black Saturday morning, sirens sound in Kibbutz Alumim and Gilad Honwald takes his family into the safe room. Honwald, an MDA medic, goes outside to make sure there are no wounded, when he and his son Lal hear the sound of small arms fire coming from Nahal Oz. "I tell God that terrorists come from Nahal Oz. 100 meters away from us, a rocket explodes in the kibbutz's chicken coop," he recalls.
Gilad hears an explosion and gunfire from the back gate of the kibbutz. "We get messages on the phone that the terrorists are on the kibbutz," he says. Gilad reports by members of the alert squad that two foreign workers were murdered and that there are three wounded on the spot. Gilad heads towards them together with an alert squad member Amichai Shaham - and the two are attacked by the terrorists. "They throw a grenade at him and Amichai is wounded in his hands. The alert squad arrives and eliminates a terrorist, and two other members of the alert squad – Eyal Jung and Eran Schlissel – are seriously wounded. The fighting continued for another four hours."
Gilad returns to the wounded among the foreign workers. "I look to the left and see four Hamas terrorists literally 40 meters away from me, and they start charging in my direction. I take shelter, say goodbye to the world and say the Shema."
Courage and resourcefulness. Gilad Honwald/Yanir Yagna
After a few minutes and with great resourcefulness, Gilad manages to evade the terrorists. He receives a call that the wounded from the alert squad must be treated. He comes towards them and is almost killed by gunfire from the alert squad. "It's me," he tells them, and survives. Gilad takes a weapon and makes sure that a terrorist next to him is killed. While the alert squad opens fire on the terrorists in an attempt to evacuate the wounded, one wounded man loses consciousness inside the vehicle. "You have to wake up," Gilad shouts to him, and says: "All this time there has been shooting by terrorists, including at us. Zviki Koretzky and I evacuate the wounded outside the kibbutz and go back inside to continue fighting."
Gilad arrives to treat another wounded 80-year-old kibbutz resident who was hit by terrorist gunfire, and evacuates him on a scooter while soldiers cover him. "I get a message about other wounded people and evacuate another wounded person to the community of bubbles while they shoot at us."
Gilad returns to the kibbutz and refers and treats a young woman who was at a party in Re'im and was wounded by gunfire. "In total, we treated ten wounded. The evacuation included five exits from the kibbutz under fire."
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In association with Galil
Alumim residents managed to repel the terrorists and prevented a massacre. Destroyed house in the village of Gaza / Avi Rokach
In the heroic battle in the Alumim, 19 foreign workers were murdered. Another 4 of them are listed as missing. Three members of the alert squad and two other civilians were wounded.
The kibbutz also mourns the deaths of Lieutenant Nitai Amar, who was killed in battle in the Gaza Division, and Shahaf Bergstein, a native of the kibbutz, who was murdered in the village of Gaza. May their memory be blessed.
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- Kibbutz Alumim
- Hamas