Nir Am

Kibbutz Nir Am avoided infiltration by Hamas terrorists and casualties in large part because of the leadership of Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, the kibbutz security chief, leading the community’s civil defense team.  The kibbutz was protected by a combination of her quick, strategic thinking and the defense team’s excellent coordination.  Rabin-Lieberman previously served in a combat unit and was the youngest member of the civil defense team, as well as the only woman. That morning, Rabin-Lieberman was awakened at 6:30 am by air raid sirens.  She then received text instructions from the army commanding her to wake up her civil defense team.  She sensed that they needed to move fast to protect the kibbutz effectively, so she told her team to immediately arm themselves and take up strategic positions along the kibbutz fence. By doing so, the kibbutz civil defense team was ready when more than a dozen armed terrorists approached the community’s perimeter fence.  One terrorist reached the fence but the team shot and killed him before he entered the kibbutz.  They also killed two others who were about 40 meters from the fence.
The civil defense team managed to keep the terrorists at bay for almost three and a half hours until the army arrived.  No one from the civil defense team was injured or killed in the battle.  All kibbutz members also remained safe; they had all gone into their safe rooms as soon as they heard the sirens, as usual.
Hamas terrorists also attacked Palestinian workers from Gaza who were working in Kibbutz Nir Am’s orange grove.  Ofer Lieberman, Inbal Rabin-Lieberman’s father, described receiving a panicked phone call from these workers.  He tried unsuccessfully to get assistance for them from the Israeli army.  He advised them to hide.  However, seven of the nine workers were killed by Hamas terrorists.