The IDF today published the results of the investigation into the battles for Mefalsim, the Black Arrow monument, and Sha'ar Hanegev Junction during the October 7th massacre.
Six officers from the YAMAM special police force were killed in action at Sha'ar Hanegev Junction, and two officers from the Gideonim special police force were killed in action at the Black Arrow monument.
One platoon commander in the Gideonim reported that "The whole unit was alerted at 7:00 AM on October 7. We were divided into several forces integrated with ISA agents in combat at the Black Arrow monument. As we approached, we identified two soldiers from the Maglan unit standing on Highway 232, not at the monument. We talked to them to understand what was happening."
He added, "We quickly identified terrorists. We opened fire, and bursts and grenades started. There was no military presence at Black Arrow. Those present among the terrorists were a brigade from Jabaliya, who were using the monument as their staging area." He noted that the terrorists had 30-40 vehicles in which there were machine guns. "We had a single Negev and fragmentation grenades. We had two fragmentation grenades when we arrived at Black Arrow. Fortunately, both sides of the fight were taken by surprise."
"One soldier was shot in the head, was in a coma, and recovered, while my deputies were hit and were in critical condition. The six of us evacuated two casualties. Later, the Air Force bombed the terrorists in the area."
The force prevented about 50 trucks at the Black Arrow monument from advancing towards central Israel. "When we passed through Sha'ar HaNegev, it turned into another world. Everyone was dead, mutilated, hit by anti-tank fire, and there was no one to help."
A deputy platoon commander in the YAMAM reported that "At 6:30 AM we were dispatched to the south with intelligence indicating a possibility of terrorist invasion. At 07:30, the team first encountered terrorists in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. Around 8:00, we arrived in Sderot with eight officers. Inside the city, we did not identify terrorists and understood that they were located in the greater Sderot area and Sha'ar HaNegev. When we arrived at Sha'ar Hanegev Junction, we unloaded from the vehicles and entered combat in a nearby thicket. Six of our officers were killed in action in just fifteen minutes."
"They positioned themselves at the junction, in the bushes, in the trees; they were with camouflage nets and set ambushes, targeting everyone who passed by. The entire fight against them lasted from 08:17 to 08:46. Afterwards, we drove to the junction, where there was a chaotic battle underway, with both civilians and security forces taking part. It was hard to tell who was who."
"It was the most difficult battle in my career. We moved through 15 areas within 24 hours. We killed 150 terrorists and we dealt with three hostage situations - Be'eri, Sderot, and Ofakim. We suffered nine casualties in total that day."