Kfar Aza massacre
| Kfar Aza massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the October 7 attacks | |
Kfar Aza family home after the attack | |
Kfar Aza Site of the attack in Israel | |
| Location | 31°29′1″N 34°32′2″E / 31.48361°N 34.53389°E Kfar Aza, Southern District, Israel |
| Date | 7 October 2023 |
Attack type | Mass shooting, mass murder, decapitation, dismemberment, immolation |
| Deaths | 80 Israelis (including 24 security forces) 150+ Palestinian militants |
| Perpetrator | Palestinian Joint Operations Room |
On 7 October 2023, around 250 Hamas and other Palestinian militants attacked Kfar Aza, an Israeli kibbutz (cooperative community) about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the border with the Gaza Strip, massacring residents and abducting hostages. It took two days for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to regain full control of the area, by which point at least 62 residents had been killed, while a further 19 were taken hostage.
The attack quickly gained notoriety as a result of war crimes documented by survivor testimonies, forensic evidence, and captured militants footage. Hamas militants engaged in several violations of combatant distinctions under international law, including shooting civilians taking shelter in safe rooms, sexually assaulting hostages. Militants shot victims inside their homes. A widely circulated claim that militants had decapitated 40 babies at the kibbutz was later shown to be false.
Prior to the massacre, the Kibbutz had 950 residents.