The IDF failed to defend the Paga outpost near Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023, and its fall opened the way for Hamas terrorists to reach the kibbutz, according to a military investigation presented to bereaved families this week.
Between 60 and 80 Hamas terrorists overran the outpost, officially called Magen Be'eri. Eighteen soldiers were killed and 22 wounded in hours of fighting, and the terrorists abducted the bodies of two soldiers. Once the post fell, terrorists were able to enter Be'eri, where 101 civilians and 31 security personnel were killed, and 30 residents and two other civilians were taken hostage.
The inquiry was led by Col. Uri Ron and Lt. Col. (res.) Tzachi Aroati, who spent 10 months collecting testimony, radio recordings, and video footage. It found that the troops, from the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion, were not ready for the mission. Their training had focused on repeated disturbances along the border fence, not a large-scale, simultaneous assault.
Israeli airstrikes during the battle were largely ineffective because of coordination gaps with ground forces. Commanders, including the outpost commander, were killed early, which heavily affected how the battle was run. The company commander could not reach the post because the roads were blocked by fighting.
The inquiry also records what the soldiers did with what they had. A tank commanded by Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson killed 10 terrorists before the tanks were hit by anti-tank missiles and an explosive dropped from a drone. At 6:55 a.m., nine terrorists entered through the armored vehicle gate. Troops at the mortar position killed four of them at close range but suffered heavy casualties. The outpost commander reinforced positions despite severe shortages of weapons and equipment. At 7:49 a.m., he left with several soldiers to retrieve an anti-tank weapon to take out a terrorist in a pillbox.
Investigators called the troops' operational reality "complex to the point of being impossible," and cited displays of heroism by junior commanders and soldiers.
The Paga findings are part of a series of IDF investigations into some 40 battles and massacres of October 7. The probes cover operational, intelligence, and command failures, but do not examine decisions by the political echelon. The Hamas commander who led the attack on the outpost, Fahmi Salami, was killed in a joint IDF-Shin Bet operation in December 2024.
