One of the first acts of resistance against the Hamas invasion on October 7th.
By Hezy Laing
In the early hours of October 7, 2023, a nine‑man squad from the IDF’s Nahal Brigade found itself among the first military units to confront the unprecedented Hamas assault along the Gaza border.
Stationed at the Sufa outpost, only a few kilometers from Kibbutz Holit, the squad began the morning in routine fashion.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., loud explosions shook the base, signaling the start of the coordinated infiltration.
The soldiers immediately boarded their armored personnel carrier after receiving orders to move toward Holit.
As the vehicle advanced down the access road, driver Itai, a 20‑year‑old special forces soldier, spotted a Hamas fighter dressed in black and armed with an RPG‑7.
The terrorist fired at close range, striking the vehicle and disabling its engine. A second RPG hit moments later, forcing the squad to abandon the carrier under heavy fire.
As they exited, seven of the nine soldiers were wounded almost immediately.
Itai was shot in the lower leg, shattering his tibia. Another soldier suffered a shoulder wound, a third was hit in the head but remained conscious, and others were injured by shrapnel and blast pressure.
Despite their injuries, the squad formed a defensive line behind the disabled vehicle. For the next three and a half hours, they held off waves of Hamas gunmen, including members of the elite Nukhba force.
The attackers used RPGs, grenades, motorcycles, tractors, and pickup trucks to press toward Israeli communities. Two grenades detonated near the soldiers, but all survived.
With the entire border region under simultaneous attack, the squad was told over the radio that no immediate evacuation was possible.
Three hours later relief finally arrived when two armored vehicles from the Caracal Battalion reached the scene, followed by medics and a tank that pushed back the remaining attackers. The wounded were evacuated by ambulance and helicopter to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Although the Nahal Brigade suffered heavy losses that day, the stand made by these nine soldiers near Holit prevented terrorists from advancing deeper into the area and became one of the earliest documented acts of resistance during the October 7 assault.
