The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday morning released to the public its investigation of the battle fought on October 7 in Moshav Yated, located some five kilometers (three miles) from southern Gaza, where 10 terrorists were apprehended within the community’s boundaries - five of them the day after the attack - while one managed to escape.
The investigation highlights the swift and coordinated response by the local rapid‑reaction team, armed residents, and the municipal emergency unit, whose actions prevented casualties among civilian residents.
The IDF’s investigation of the events on October 7 asserts that the clash on Highway 232 led by the then‑commander of Paran Brigade, during which Cpt. (res.) Iftach Gorny, 51, was killed in the line of duty, thwarted a much larger attack on Yated.
“Without this battle,” the report states, “the moshav would have faced a triple‑digit number of terrorists. Gorny’s death was not in vain.” Despite the loss of Gorny, no resident or security-force member was killed or abducted inside Yated. Two residents who fled the Psyduck music festival earlier — Noi Maudi and Moti Elkabetz — were murdered later at Mavtachim junction, underscoring how close the small community came to catastrophe.
According to the timeline released by the IDF: at 6:40 a.m.— about 11 minutes after the attack began — the local rapid‑reaction commander (Ravshatz) Ma’or Habibian mobilized a five‑fighter rapid‑reaction team, briefed them, ordered the gates locked, shelters activated, and armed community members stationed at the entrances — seven residents armed personally stepped up. In total, 12 defenders moved out to confront the threat.
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Cpt. (res.) Iftach Gorny, 51, was killed in the line of duty
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
Around 9:15 a.m. during patrols, the Ravshatz and his deputy spotted a suspicious figure beyond the perimeter fence; they executed a “suspected‑arrest procedure” and dispatched additional forces. The man was identified as a Gazan terrorist who surrendered and was held in a civilian’s home under armed guard. When the Ravshatz reported the arrest to Brigade HQ he reportedly received no response.
About 15 minutes later, they received a report of an Arabic‑speaking suspect trying to open the door of a local woman’s home. Forces rushed there, identified a terrorist crawling between houses and opened fire; he fled into nearby shrubbery. Another unit identified a second terrorist who had slipped under the gate and ran toward a house yard. A third terrorist behind a home was shot, wounded and later arrested.
By approximately 9:45 a.m., defenders of the moshav had surrounded an area where several terrorists were hiding. One managed to flee, while four surrendered and were detained. All five — plus the earlier captive — were secured in a house. From 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m., defenders patrolled the moshav; the municipal emergency unit checked on every resident, and rapid‑reaction team members returned to bring support to those unavailable earlier.
The next morning around 10:20 a.m. a resident who inspected the area where the fence had been breached discovered five unarmed terrorists who surrendered and lay on the ground. The defenders and a K’arkal unit handcuffed them. At 1 p.m. the evacuation of the moshav began. The terrorists remained under guard by the rapid‑reaction team for two days, at which point the IDF took custody.
Simultaneous battle prevented wider infiltration
While fighting raged within Yated early on October 7, a parallel battle outside the moshav helped prevent a broader infiltration. Around 9:40 a.m. on Highway 232, Paran Brigade — then under Lieutenant Colonel Shemer Raviv, with about 20 fighters — came under heavy fire from multiple directions by terrorists with a significant numerical advantage. The troops exited from their vehicles and took cover in a grove beside the road. Gorny remained near the vehicles to guard them. Raviv called for helicopter support, which arrived about 40 minutes later.
Meanwhile Gorny fought behind the brigade command jeep, leaping between vehicles to retrieve keys and prevent terrorists from accessing the field command vehicles and brigade HQ depot. During these maneuvers, he was shot and fell. Raviv and a female soldier dragged him to safety, but by the time medics arrived he was already dead.
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Graphics showing the focal points of events during the fighting in Moshav Yated
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
At 10:05 a.m., an armored tank from a K’arkal company joined the brigade on Highway 232; the brigade commander directed the tank toward the terrorists. The tank opened fire and reportedly eliminated around 20 terrorists. When the sweep concluded, abandoned weapons were found — including RPGs — tied to the terrorists who had been detained in Yated while unarmed. At 11:07 the combat helicopter fired at terrorists in retreat.
Report: Local response commended, the IDF failed the moshav
Although the fighting on Highway 232 received praise, the IDF’s overall conclusion begins with a self‑critique: the army failed in protecting the moshav. The performance of the local residents, rapid‑reaction team and municipal emergency unit, however, was lauded. “They made correct decisions and acted as expected,” the report states.
Commenting on the armed civilians who stepped up, the IDF added: “The volunteer spirit of residents who are not formally part of the moshav’s defense force is remarkable.”
As in previous investigations — the IDF stressed it was unprepared for thousands of Hamas terrorists to breach multiple locations simultaneously. According to the report, the inquiry took approximately 14 months and included interviews with rapid‑reaction team members, Yated residents and municipal‑emergency staff. It relied on radio communications, reenactments, surveillance‑camera footage, social‑media posts, intelligence material and criminal investigation files. The stated purpose was to present as accurate a picture as possible of what happened in the moshav on the day of the massacre and the two following days. The IDF noted that additional findings may emerge in time.
The terrorists captured inside the moshav were all unarmed — suggesting, according to investigators, that they fled the main battle on Route 232. The report, led by Brigadier‑General Itamar Ben Chaim and concluded under former Southern Command Chief Lieutenant‑General Yaron Finkelman, also noted that a story of bravery told by one resident — that she had interrogated a terrorist and extracted actionable information — could not be confirmed and is not part of the official findings.
“During the investigation many stories were heard; some we verified, others we did not. If there is a story we failed to confirm, it remains unverified. As of now, it is not corroborated,” an official admitted.
Moshav Yated released a statement:
“We were lucky to be saved by the IDF forces — especially Paran Brigade — who were on Highway 232 opposite Yated at exactly the moment tens of terrorists were heading for the community. The residents of Yated do not forget those who fell in the battle for the moshav’s defense — Iftach Gorny and Liran Almosnino, who died defending Yated that morning. We also remember residents Moti Elkabetz and Noi Maudi, and the Maudi family’s grandson, Matan Rosenberg, who were murdered the same day on their way back to the moshav. We are grateful for the actions of the rapid‑reaction team — which repelled the terrorists who managed to reach the fence — and for the municipal emergency team that operated until the last residents were evacuated.”