Hebrew video
At 6:29 a.m. on October 7, as the border fence was breached, dozens of Nukhba terrorists moved toward one of the strategic areas near the Gaza border - the Black Arrow memorial site and Mefalsim Junction.
They seized sections of Route 232, the main road connecting Sderot with the communities near the Gaza border, set up ambushes, and opened fire on vehicles traveling through the area.
A special News 13 report revisits the battle that unfolded there, using footage and radio communications to show how the road quickly became a major combat zone. The terrorists sought to establish a foothold from which they could advance toward nearby communities and northward, while preventing IDF and rescue forces from reaching the battle scenes.
At the Mefalsim bend, hundreds of people fleeing the massacre at the Nova festival were also caught in the ambush. Vehicles passing through came under fire, as terrorist squads operating along the road made driving through the area extremely dangerous and nearly impossible.
At the same time, reinforcement forces tried to make their way south but encountered terrorists controlling the road. With no complete picture of the situation and battles taking place simultaneously at other military posts and communities, it became clear that reopening Route 232 was critical to allowing forces to reach deeper into the Gaza border area.
The terrorists arrived in waves on motorcycles and ammunition-laden pickup trucks after breaching the fence at several points. Facing the large numbers were regular IDF forces, civilian security coordinators, and other forces trying to halt their advance and defend the communities.
The radio communications revealed in the report also document the fierce fighting commanded by officers and troops during the first hours. Among the voices heard are Maj. Shilo Har-Even, whose name is followed by the Hebrew notation for the fallen, and Sgt. Maj. Roi Barkat, also fallen, as battles raged around them and forces struggled to hold the military posts and roads against the terrorist assault.
Har-Even fell in battle alongside 16 of his soldiers, out of the 40 troops stationed at the post. Female surveillance soldiers in the command center continued transmitting reports from inside the fighting. One of them was Sgt. Yael Leibovitz, who continued reporting on events as the battle raged around the post.
The heavy human toll runs throughout the story of the battle. Alongside the fight for control of the roads and efforts to halt the terrorists' infiltration, additional soldiers and commanders were killed, including Yossi Tahar, deputy commander of the Shin Bet's operational unit, and Nahal company commander Maj. Tal Grushka.
As the hours passed, however, the picture on the battlefield began to change. Ground and air forces gradually shifted from containment to offensive operations. Elite units, Shin Bet personnel, armored forces, and civilian security teams fought terrorist squads, while terrorists attempting to return toward the Gaza Strip were also identified.
Dozens of terrorists were killed during the fighting, and security forces gradually regained control of the main roads. In the Black Arrow and Mefalsim areas, the fighters succeeded in breaking up the ambush blocking Route 232 and reopening the road to military traffic.