After almost eleven months have passed since the murderous attack by Hamas on October 7th, the house of the late Pessy Cohen, in which 13 of the 15 hostages held there were murdered, was demolished on Wednesday morning.
Pessy’s house is the last testimony to the destruction of the Eshelim neighborhood and was left standing because of IDF investigations on accusations of negligence, resulting in the death of 13 hostages, who were hiding in the house during the Hamas attack. The other houses in the neighborhood were demolished six months ago.
Sharon Cohen, Pessy's daughter-in-law, said: "Beloved Pessy, your home was full of warmth and love, acceptance and inclusion, and on October 7th, your home became a house of endless death and pain. We will rebuild Be’eri. This will be our victory and revival, along with the return of all the hostages."
Omri Shifroni, who lost four members of his family on October 7th, including his aunt, and his uncle’s grandchildren, said that "the demolition of the house is not a fresh start. It is painful evidence to our loss, but it is also impossible to stay with the ruins. We will never close up the holes in our heart, but here we will build new homes, hopefully as good as the ones we had."
Gili Molcho, secretary of Kibbutz Be’eri, said: "The community is currently moving to the temporary houses in Hatzerim, as we start the construction of the new houses in Eshelim. The demolition of Pessy’s house's is a painful testimony to the attack, but it also symbolizes hope for future reconstruction."
Since October 7th, severe criticism has been sounded at Barak Hiram's conduct and his decision to fire a tank shell at Pessy’s house. The IDF investigation found that "the firing was carried out professionally, following a joint decision of the commanders from special police, ISA and IDF units and after assessing the situation, in order to put pressure on the terrorists and save the hostages."
The investigation shows that in the face of the complex and difficult circumstances that prevailed, the commanders made professional and responsible decisions, after exhausting their negotiation efforts to the fullest.
"After gunshots were heard from inside the house and the terrorists announced their intention to commit suicide and kill the hostages, the forces decided to break in and rescue the hostages, carrying out a combat operation under difficult conditions," it said. The team stated that it appears that most of the hostages were murdered by the terrorists.
After the publication of the report, Hiram met with the families of those who died at Pessy’s house, acknowledging the military failure and listening to the difficult claims the family members had to say about his conduct on October 7th. Most of the families left the meeting feeling reconciled, but some were not reassured by the investigation and Hiram's explanation.