"We Entered the Neighborhood and Faced a Terrorist with an RPG": The Civilians Who Fought in Ofakim Recall the Battle for the City

Rabbi Shachar Butzchak, a rabbi of the 'Mivtachim' Torah nucleus and a resident of Ofakim, is a member of the city's emergency response team, living very close to where the events unfolded during Simchat Torah. "During the sirens, I made the difficult decision to open my mobile phone in the middle of the holiday," he shares in an interview with 'Hidabroot'. "From my experience, I realized that the launches towards the city were unusual, and there was a need to activate the emergency response team. Unfortunately, I discovered my concerns were justified."

As the terrorists advanced into the city, Rabbi Butzchak, a veteran of the emergency response units of the Gaza border settlements and experienced in security events, did not hesitate and took up his weapon to fight. "The first hint that this was a significant event came even before I set out to battle," he says. He was informed by the security officer of the Eshkol region, who warned him of the potential of a wide-scale Hamas incursion in the area. Sadly, the officer was killed shortly thereafter in a battle with terrorists.

Armed with a weapon and concerning information, Rabbi Butzchak moved towards the terrorists' location—just a few meters from his home. "The encounter with the terrorists occurred on a relatively narrow street, lined with 'railway buildings'," he recalls. "Two of my community members were already there, armed as well. Me and them, with 'light' pistols, faced a squad of terrorists with heavy weapons and equipment befitting an entire unit... My friends shouted to me: 'There are three terrorists'. This would later prove to be a mistake: the number of terrorists was much higher."

Rabbi Butzchak and his friends had no time to prepare on the ground, as the battle began immediately upon their arrival. His chilling testimony tells the story of all the surrounding settlements. He describes the great surprise at the amount of ammunition the terrorists had, and also terrorists dressed in a military manner that could identify them as IDF soldiers, complicating the ground operations.

Rabbi Shachar Butzchak

"Before we had a chance to properly position ourselves, the terrorists opened heavy fire that shook the entire street. We immediately took cover and prepared our weapons. I then started advancing towards the terrorists, following the familiar military procedure of trying to neutralize them. However, this was an entirely exceptional event, where the terrorists were heavily armed and very numerous. We had no idea that there was a squad of 14 terrorists. We also didn't know that we were facing a group of terrorists armed from head to toe—with explosive devices, grenade launchers, and anti-tank missiles. Who would have believed such a significant event could occur within Israeli territory?

"While advancing towards the terrorists, I called to my two friends not to split up. This allowed us to progress as a unit: to run, take cover, and secure each other while advancing."

Injury in the Midst of Battle

"Then," Rabbi Butzchak continues his gripping account, "while advancing towards the terrorists, one of them shot a burst at us, hitting me in the leg. I fell, but continued to hold my pistol with all my strength; I understood very well that if he advanced and the gun wasn’t with me, the event wouldn’t end with just a leg injury."

"Looking back, I could have eliminated the terrorist who shot me before the encounter," he notes. "What hindered me was the fact that he was dressed in a way that I didn’t know if he was one of our forces or not. After he was exposed by the shooting he performed towards me, the one behind me shot him, and he was neutralized. Another terrorist arrived, dressed similarly to IDF soldiers. Fortunately, my friend was suspicious of him: the terrorist did not carry a strap over his weapon, which is not customary in the IDF. A member of the emergency response team decided to shoot him too, and the additional terrorist was eliminated on the spot."

At this point, Rabbi Butzchak and his friends realized they were in a problem. With around 15 bullets in the magazine at most, the terrorists were equipped with long rifles and nearly unlimited bullets. Rabbi Butzchak realized he had to evacuate the area. The injury also contributed to this realization.

While lying on the ground, losing blood, Rabbi Butzchak dialed MDA. However, the rescue organization refused to come to the place. There was a good reason for that. Shortly beforehand, Rabbi Aharon Chaimov, an ambulance driver from the local Haredi community, was killed when he came to treat the wounded. We hear about this from one of the neighbors living in the area: "The terrorists fired bursts at him, causing the ambulance to overturn and stop on a traffic island." He was 25 when he was murdered for *kiddush Hashem*.

Rabbi Butzchak continues recounting the battle, noting that the terrorists fired an RPG missile at citizens who stood in front of them armed with only pistols. By the grace of Heaven, the event ended with the elimination of all terrorists. Rabbi Butzchak himself experienced another miracle when his friends managed to reach and evacuate him independently to the hospital. His pistol was handed over to someone else, who continued to fight the terrorists in the coming hours.

In the shadow of the terrible disaster, there is also an optimistic tone in Rabbi Butzchak's words: "During the battle, I asked myself how long the pistols could hold against the terrorists, but I was pleasantly surprised. During the fighting, we saw civilians who went out to defend their people with their bodies and souls.

"One needs to understand," he notes, "that the terrorists who came here were the elite of the elite from Gaza, holding the best military equipment available. Yet they did not succeed in their plan. The day after, I can say: the elite terrorists of Hamas' *Al-Nukhba* force were beaten by civilians armed with minimal ammunition. In these difficult times, these stories offer more than just a hint of optimism."

The Decision That Saved Lives

Adi Felah, a resident of Ofakim, like many others, experienced the sirens that woke him up early in the morning. But unlike most Israeli citizens, he sprang into action when he heard simultaneous gunfire from the street near his home. The combination of sirens and gunfire led him to conclude that there was a security incident happening right next to his house.

Adi Felah

"I was outside the house when I heard the gunfire," he recalls. "I immediately reentered the house and emerged again armed with a pistol. From the nearby buildings, I saw three more friends leaving their homes, one with a rifle and the others with pistols. We reside in the western neighborhood of Ofakim, which is the closest to the Gaza Strip. Already then, we understood that our area might be in the terrorists' crosshairs. However, they arrived at the next neighborhood after us, where there are no reinforced rooms, exploiting the residents' exit to shelters to massacre them. They knew exactly how to act.

"It took us a minute or two to understand what was happening. Initially, we debated whether to reach the source of the shooting by car, but we decided to make the distance on foot. In retrospect, the decision proved to be one that saved our lives, because anyone who arrived by car to the area was shot. We couldn't believe it was the situation. We were sure it was a relatively small incident involving a single or a couple of terrorists entering the neighborhood. No one could believe a motorized force arrived in Ofakim with missiles and explosive devices."

(Illustrative photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)

Adi describes the battle with the terrorists: "On our way to the arena, we met one more guy joining us, armed with a pistol. When we arrived at the place, we realized we were not the only civilians in the area. Groups of civilians were heading towards the terrorists, trying to provide responses from their side."

"We stood at the end of the street, trying to shoot, but quickly realized we couldn't enter the street," he says. "In the middle of the street stood a terrorist, shooting continuous bursts. At some point, a vehicle arrived with four undercover unit officers. We warned them not to enter, and they told us it was okay and they knew what they were doing. But they only had to cross the street for the terrorists to start shooting, and three of them were injured, one moderately. By a miracle, all four managed to retreat. In another incident, two entered the area despite our warnings, and tragically one of them was killed. May Hashem avenge his blood."

The battle for Ofakim lasted for long hours. At its peak, Adi and his friends also attempted to enter the street where the terrorists stood, but as soon as they stepped in, a terrorist opened heavy fire that blocked their advance. This incident concluded as a great miracle for them. "We had to retreat," Adi recalls. "Shortly afterward, we realized it was a major miracle, because another terrorist, seeing us enter the place, launched an RPG missile at us. Since we had already begun to withdraw, the missile missed. It was indeed a great miracle, without which we could have all perished."

Later, Adi and his friends achieved a significant success. "It happened when we managed to eliminate the terrorist who stood shooting non-stop in the center of the street," he says. "Then more skilled military forces arrived, taking command of the event. "I observed this and returned home as per the army's instructions. Unbeknownst to us, the terrorists also saw this and withdrew into a neighborhood house, where they took the Edri couple hostage—until the terrorists were finally eliminated by divine grace."

What are your conclusions from the battle?

"First, there was a battle of heroism. Citizens armed with pistols fought against heavily armed terrorists. It was an unorganized battle from our side due to the unexpected nature of the event. More and more armed civilians, including soldiers on leave and police officers, came to fight the terrorists. Some, unfortunately, were killed. Among them was a soldier from the Givati Brigade who was killed during his entrance into the neighborhood.

"It should also be mentioned," he emphasizes, "that almost everyone coming from the lower part of the street, from the Tamar neighborhood, was killed by the terrorists who dominated the area. Among the fallen were Moshe and Elad Ohayon—members of our community and his son, who came to fight the terrorists. They entered the street heroically, and the terrorists greeted them with gunfire. They exited their vehicle and attempted to enter a house to continue battling the terrorists, but then they were killed. May Hashem avenge their blood. There were also two brothers, one a regular soldier and the other a 24-year-old reservist, who went out without weapons. They heard the gunfire and said they’d go out to help as much as they could. Sadly, both were killed."

"The conclusion is that people simply weren't ready for this battle. The terrorists caught us by surprise immensely. Nevertheless, there are many heroism stories here."

As someone who fought the terrorists, how skilled do you think they were?

"I think they were skilled. They were confident because they were a large group, so they didn't always maintain precautionary measures, but they managed to hurt many people. They even targeted undercover unit officers, one with a long weapon. The neighborhood reports about 15 civilians, not combatants, who were killed in the massacre inflicted by the terrorists."

A Double Miracle

One of the homes standing very close to the combat zone is the house of Aharon Cohen. "The terrorists disembarked from their vehicles after parking behind my house," he narrates.

"Though I prepared to leave the house at six-thirty in the morning, I couldn’t do it until the sirens started," he says, pausing thoughtfully: "Had I left earlier, I would have likely encountered the terrorists. I don't want to imagine what could have happened in such a case."

Instead of going out, Cohen had to rush to the secure room due to rockets fired by terrorist organizations towards Israel. "Until about eight o’clock, we intermittently entered the secure room. But then everything became far scarier with gunfire starting just outside the house. We immediately called security forces, but there was no answer. It felt like the state was paralyzed at once."

(Illustrative photo: Yossi Aloni / Flash90)

"Above us, a neighbor sat on his balcony and saw terrorists running with RPG missiles on their shoulder. Like many others, he thought they were our soldiers, but when they started shooting everywhere, he understood they were terrorists and fled to a safe space. We also isolated ourselves in the house as dramatic battles raged around us."

In retrospect, Cohen and his family realized that adhering to instructions saved their lives. "During one of the sirens, just after we entered the secure room, there was a massive explosion in the apartment. The secure room's door was pushed open by the blast. The entire house shook for long minutes. Once we left the secure room, we discovered the magnitude of the miracle: the entire house was damaged in the shelling. By divine grace and by following the instructions, we were saved."