Members of Kibbutz Erez’s civil defense squad, with help from the security team of the nearby kibbutz of Or Haner, repelled Hamas’s attempted invasion of the Gaza-border community during the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, according to an Israel Defense Forces probe published Tuesday.

Between 15 and 20 terrorists attempted to infiltrate Erez. The probe found that at least two were killed on the edge of the kibbutz during fighting led by the local security officers, and another six were eliminated by soldiers closer to the Gaza border fence. The remaining terrorists apparently managed to return to the Strip.

One person was killed during the fighting in Erez, Amir Manzhor Naim, a member of the local security team. Several other civilians were wounded.

Residents and members of the civil defense squad at Kibbutz Erez and Kibbutz Or Haner “demonstrated courage, determination to engage, and camaraderie,” the IDF probe stated. “Their brave fighting in the kibbutz prevented a massacre.”

The probe also noted that an IDF tank crew that deployed that morning to the border, just outside the kibbutz, “reduced the scope of the attack and disrupted the enemy’s plan.” Israeli Air Force strikes also “prevented a large additional wave of terrorists from entering the area.”

Erez was infiltrated by terrorists during the onslaught, “but was never conquered at any stage,” the investigation said.

The findings published Tuesday are the latest in a series of detailed investigations into some 40 battles and massacres that took place during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, when about 5,600 terrorists stormed across the border, killed some 1,200 people, and took 251 hostages into Gaza, where dozens remain captive.

Related: 120 terrorists invaded Erez Crossing, adjacent base on Oct. 7, as troops made brave stand

Similar to other investigations, the probe concluded that the IDF “failed in its mission to protect” Erez and those in the surrounding area, mainly because the military never prepared for such an event: an Israeli community being attacked by terrorists, as well as a widespread attack on numerous towns and army bases simultaneously by thousands of terrorists.

“The IDF struggled until the afternoon to form a clear picture of events in Erez, while the local security team had a general understanding by morning,” the probe said.

The probe, carried out by Lt. Col. (res.) Israel Shitrit, covered all aspects of the fighting in Kibbutz Erez and the surrounding area. The IDF said the investigators made visits to the scene and reviewed every possible source of information.

The Kibbutz Erez probe was aimed at drawing specific operational conclusions for the military. It did not examine the wider picture of the military’s perception of Gaza and Hamas in recent years, which has been covered in separate, larger investigations into the IDF’s intelligence and defenses.

At 6:28 a.m., one minute before Hamas launched its initial barrage of over 1,000 rockets at Israel, the commander of an IDF company stationed in the area spotted two drones flying overhead and opened fire. One of the drones was shot down, while the second hit the army post where the commander was stationed.

As rocket sirens sounded across southern Israel, Erez’s security coordinator, who was in Jerusalem that morning, immediately called up the community’s local security team.

The former security coordinator, who was in the kibbutz, took command of the civil defense squad. According to the probe, 12 of the kibbutz’s 16 assault rifles were stored in the homes of the local security officers. In many other Gaza border communities on October 7, the civil defense squad’s weapons were stored in a central armory, which in some cases were not opened due to various circumstances.

The commander of the IDF company in the area at 6:38 a.m. ordered a tank to position itself between the Gaza border fence and the kibbutz. The tank team then engaged the first wave of terrorists infiltrating from Gaza, running over some of them on motorcycles. The tank was hit by anti-tank missile fire amid the fighting.

The company commander moved into Erez and positioned himself near one of the entrances, but a short while later left for Kibbutz Nir Am after receiving reports of an infiltration there. The tank also headed for Nir Am.

At 7:05 a.m., members of the civil defense squad who were positioned on the outskirts of Erez spotted several pickup trucks heading toward the back entrance to the community. They opened fire on the terrorists and rushed for the entrance to block the attack.

The terrorists disembarked from the pickup trucks and began exchanging fire with the civil defense squad as they both arrived at the back gate to the community.

“Fierce fighting” took place at the back entrance, with one local security officer wounded in the head by a grenade at 7:15 a.m., but he continued to fight, and another hit by gunfire at 7:40 a.m. and evacuated for medical treatment. The terrorists also fired an RPG at a home in the kibbutz.

At 7:45 a.m., Naim, a member of the security team and a major in reserves, was fatally wounded while fighting from the yard of a home near the back entrance.

Erez’s security coordinator, still en route to the kibbutz, requested help from Or Haner’s coordinator, who sent reinforcements.

The first team from Or Haner arrived at 8 a.m., as the Erez civil defense squad was pinned down at a post next to the back entrance and running low on ammunition. At 8:15 a.m., the Erez security coordinator and three Or Haner residents arrived.

The former Erez security coordinator organized a rescue team to try and reach the civil defense squad members trapped near the back entrance. At 8:45 a.m., the team, while under fire, reached the post, and rescued the local security officers by 9 a.m.

Another RPG fired by the terrorists hit the house near the back entrance, injuring several members of the civil defense squad and civilians. The local security officers regrouped and rescued the family living in the house where the fighting was taking place.

Afterward, the local security officers deployed to an area on the kibbutz’s perimeter fence where several terrorists had been spotted using a drone a short while earlier. During the fighting, the terrorists managed to breach the fence using explosives and enter the kibbutz briefly.

The local security officers fought back, and the terrorists withdrew, ending the fighting at around 10:30 a.m.

After the fighting ended in Erez, the local security team and residents began searching the kibbutz.

A small force of paratroopers arrived in the kibbutz at 10:45 a.m., as did other soldiers, though the latter troops headed for other areas under attack a short while later.

Shin Bet officers joined in the search efforts at 1 p.m., and at around 8 p.m., additional paratroopers and members of the elite Multi-Domain unit arrived to reinforce the kibbutz.