Be'eri massacre
On 7 October 2023, in the opening attacks of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hamas militants carried out a massacre at Be'eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
| Be'eri massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel | |
One of the houses in Be'eri in the massacre's aftermath | |
Be'eri Site of the attack in Israel | |
| Native name | הטבח בבארי |
| Location | Be'eri, Southern District, Israel |
| Coordinates | 31°25′26″N 34°29′23″E |
| Date | 7 October 2023 |
Attack type | Mass shooting, mass murder, Arson, war crime |
| Deaths |
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| Victims | Hundreds missing |
| Perpetrator |
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Around 70 Hamas militants of the al-Qassam Brigades, Nuseirat Battalion, along with DFLP militants had attacked the kibbutz and at least 130 people were killed in the attack, including women (such as peace activist Vivian Silver), children, toddlers, and one infant, claiming the lives of 10% of the farming community's residents. Dozens of homes were also burned down. This incident occurred concurrently with a series of other massacres and military engagements in multiple neighbouring Israeli communities, including Netiv haAsara, Kfar Aza, and the Rei'm music festival massacre. Several newspapers described the massacre as an act of terrorism.
A few early claims regarding the attack, including that forty babies had been killed, some of them beheaded, were later found to be false.
Hostages were taken, leading to a stand-off with the Israel Defense Forces. Relatives of some of those killed have demanded a probe into potential deaths of some of these hostages from friendly fire, including one incident in which an Israeli tank fired at a house full of hostages.