Golani Commander Warns of Surprise Hamas Raid Hours Before Attack on Kissufim Kibbutz

On September 28, 2023, Captain Ido Yitzhaki, commander of Golani Brigade's Company B responsible for the Kissufim sector, marked his 26th birthday during a divisional briefing that underestimated the threat from Hamas. Despite a quiet Shabbat two days later, Yitzhaki's company maintained high alert, conducting daily ambushes along known infiltration points on the Gaza border. The night before the October 7 Hamas surprise attack, the company experienced two unusual incidents that were not thoroughly investigated by the IDF.

At 10 p.m. on October 6, a lookout spotted three suspects crawling toward the border fence at reporting line 136. Yitzhaki quickly responded but the suspects retreated without engagement; the IDF chose not to authorize aerial support or firing. The purpose of this infiltration remains unclear, but it was later linked to one of the main breach points during the attack. Around 3 a.m., another lookout identified five Hamas militants occupying a known observation post near the fence. They were fired upon with warning shots but not harmed, and they withdrew.

At 5:37 a.m., Yitzhaki warned his troops over radio to prepare for a surprise raid, emphasizing vigilance and no room for mistakes. Less than an hour later, Hamas militants attacked multiple points along the fence, including line 136. The lookouts engaged enemy forces, successfully neutralizing several militants on motorcycles shortly after the assault began. Despite being outnumbered and heavily armed, Yitzhaki's company was one of the few units prepared and managed to repel the attackers, saving many kibbutz residents.

During the intense fighting, approximately 150 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Kissufim within the first 20 minutes, facilitating Hamas infiltration. The militants entered the kibbutz and the nearby military outpost, engaging in firefights and kidnapping 85-year-old resident Shlomo Manzur, who was killed the same day. Golani soldiers killed about 80 militants in the kibbutz area and 25 at the outpost. Captured Hamas maps revealed detailed intelligence on the kibbutz layout, but the attackers lost the element of surprise against Yitzhaki's prepared forces.

Yitzhaki, now a reserve lieutenant colonel, documented the battle and its aftermath in a new book titled "In the Blood of My Life Forever," dedicated to his fallen soldiers. The book recounts the heroic defense, the failures in intelligence and investigation before the attack, and honors the memory of the eight soldiers from his company who died defending Kissufim. The IDF censorship approved the publication of these details.

Summary: Captain Ido Yitzhaki of the Golani Brigade warned his troops of a surprise Hamas raid hours before the October 7, 2023 attack on the Kissufim kibbutz. Despite prior unusual infiltration attempts that were not fully investigated, his company was prepared and successfully repelled the militants, saving many residents. Yitzhaki later chronicled the battle and honored his fallen soldiers in a new book.