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Nir Oz attack

SOLVED2023Nir Oz kibbutz, southern Israel3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 7 October 2023, as part of a broader surprise attack on Israel, Palestinian militants led by Hamas invaded the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, a community located less than 7 kilometers from the Gaza border. The kibbutz had 427 residents on 6 October, with 386 present during the attack. An estimated 500 militants and civilian looters, drawn in part by the spectacle of a disabled Israeli tank near the border, entered the kibbutz — a number that outnumbered its population and was unusually large compared to other communities attacked that day.

The assault began around 6:29 a.m. with a rocket barrage, under cover of which militants breached the border in six locations near Nir Oz. Militants disabled surveillance cameras, and by 6:57 a.m. had carried out the first killing inside the kibbutz, that of 74-year-old Bracha Levinson, which was livestreamed on her Facebook page. Militants also fired on vehicles carrying people fleeing the Psyduck music festival, killing several. At 7:27 a.m., militants entered the foreign workers' residences, killing twelve foreign nationals and kidnapping five. Hostage-taking began around 8:30 a.m. as militants set homes on fire and killed residents.

The kibbutz security team and armed residents, including Eran Smilansky and Yaron Maor, resisted but were outnumbered; a group of seven fighters delayed abductions for roughly two hours before being overwhelmed around 9:00 a.m. Four defenders were killed. Israeli Air Force helicopters and a tank engaged militants near the kibbutz and on the road to Gaza through the late morning; one helicopter strike on a tractor transporting hostages killed the militants aboard and hostage Efrat Katz. Militants began withdrawing to Gaza by 10:30 a.m., with the last known militant presence in the kibbutz at 12:30 p.m. IDF reinforcements, including Yamas, Egoz Unit, and Shayetet 13 forces, did not reach Nir Oz until after 1:00 p.m., by which time attackers had left; the incident was later described as a particularly severe failure of the IDF response on 7 October.

The overall death toll was 47, including six people who had fled the nearby music festival; including deaths in captivity, the total number of dead connected to the kibbutz was put at 69. Seventy-six people were abducted, of whom 67 were taken alive; nine were killed during or shortly after abduction, and 13 more later died in Gaza during the war. Forty hostages were released during a ceasefire in late November 2023. Prominent hostages included Alex Dancyg and Oded Lifshitz, who died in captivity, and the Bibas family, including infant Kfir Bibas. Noya Dan and her grandmother Carmela Dan, initially believed held hostage, were found dead by the IDF in Gaza on 19 October 2023. Judi and Gadi Haggai were also killed, with their bodies recovered in June 2025. Survivors were evacuated to Eilat, and militants and looters were reported to have entered all but six homes in the community.

Key facts

Victims
Yonatan Siman Tov, Efrat Katz, Judi Haggai, Carmela Dan, Oded Lifshitz, Bracha Levinson, Alex Dancyg, Asaf Hamami, Gadi Haggai, Noya Dan, Kfir Bibas
Date
2023
Location
Nir Oz kibbutz, southern Israel
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1955-10-01

    Nir Oz kibbutz founded as a Nahal settlement.

  2. 2023-10-06

    Nir Oz had 427 residents on the eve of the attack.

  3. 2023-10-07

    Hamas-led militants and looters invade Nir Oz beginning around 6:29 a.m.; scores of residents killed, homes burned, and 76 people taken hostage over the course of the day.

  4. 2023-10-19

    Bodies of hostages Noya Dan and Carmela Dan discovered by the IDF in Gaza near the Israeli border.

  5. 2023-11

    Forty of the 76 hostages from Nir Oz released during a weeklong ceasefire.

  6. 2023-12-01

    IDF announces that four Nir Oz residents had died in captivity.

  7. 2023-12-28

    It is reported that Judi Haggai had been fatally wounded during the attack and her husband Gadi Haggai had been declared deceased about a week earlier.

  8. 2024-02

    Argentine President Javier Milei and Israeli President Isaac Herzog tour the kibbutz during Milei's bilateral visit to Israel.

  9. 2025-06-05

    Bodies of Judi and Gadi Haggai recovered by the IDF.

  10. 2026-02-04

    Israel conducts airstrikes in Gaza; the IDF says one strike targeted and later confirmed the death of a man described as a Hamas Nukhba commander who led the Nir Oz attack.

Best coverage

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People

  • Yonatan Siman Tov

    VICTIM

    Kibbutz resident killed along with his mother, wife, and three children in their safe room.

  • Efrat Katz

    VICTIM

    Hostage killed when an Israeli helicopter fired on a tractor transporting hostages toward Gaza.

  • Judi Haggai

    VICTIM

    Israeli-American-Canadian resident fatally wounded during the attack; body recovered by the IDF on 5 June 2025.

  • Carmela Dan

    VICTIM

    80-year-old hostage, grandmother of Noya Dan, found dead by the IDF in Gaza on 19 October 2023.

  • Oded Lifshitz

    VICTIM

    Israeli journalist abducted from Nir Oz who died in captivity.

  • Bracha Levinson

    VICTIM

    74-year-old Nir Oz resident killed in her home; the killing was livestreamed on her Facebook page.

  • Alex Dancyg

    VICTIM

    Polish-Israeli historian abducted from Nir Oz who died in captivity.

  • Asaf Hamami

    VICTIM

    Colonel and commander of the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade who alerted local security teams and was later killed defending nearby Nirim.

  • Gadi Haggai

    VICTIM

    Israeli-American-Canadian resident abducted and killed; body recovered by the IDF on 5 June 2025.

  • Noya Dan

    VICTIM

    12-year-old hostage found dead by the IDF in Gaza on 19 October 2023.

  • Bilal Abu Assi

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Described by the IDF as a commander in Hamas's Nukhba forces who led the Nir Oz attack and participated in holding hostages; his death was confirmed following an Israeli airstrike on 4 February 2026.

  • Kfir Bibas

    VICTIM

    9-month-old member of the Bibas family abducted from Nir Oz, the youngest hostage taken in the attack.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Nir Oz kibbutz, southern Israel

31.3103, 34.4022

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 7 October 2023, Hamas-led militants and civilian looters from Gaza invaded the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, killing 47 people and abducting 76 during a multi-hour assault that Israeli military reinforcements did not reach until after the attackers had withdrawn.
Where did the crime happen?
Nir Oz kibbutz, southern Israel.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Israel

Sources

  1. Nir Oz attackwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07

Last verified JUL 2026