Overview of the Incident
An IDF investigation into the October 7th attack at the Urim base on the Simchat Torah holiday found that commanders and forces who joined the battle successfully defended the base and foiled the terrorists’ plan. However, the site’s defensive infrastructure was unprepared for a large-scale infiltration and assault. Only seven security guards were on duty that Sabbath, out of the twelve assigned.
Timeline of Events:
06:29 – Heavy Hamas rocket fire targets southern communities. A terrorist squad on motorcycles heads toward the Urim base complex. At the Home Front Command guard post, female soldiers enter shelters due to “Red Alert” warnings.
07:21 – The squad reaches the eastern gate of the base and places an explosive charge.
07:26 – The bomb explodes, breaching the gate. Terrorists infiltrate. Surveillance soldiers in the control room spot the breach and declare an enemy infiltration. Command post doors are locked.
Combat Within the Base:
07:29 – The Rapid Response Team and two surveillance soldiers exit the shelter. Two are shot and killed. Two are wounded but keep running. Others retreat to their quarters.
07:30 – Terrorists move toward the armory shelter, shoot a soldier inside, and kill him. They use the shelter to regroup.
07:49 – The terrorist commander leads three others toward the female soldiers’ quarters. A surveillance soldier shouts for them to leave. The terrorists return to the armory shelter.
08:02 – An RPG is fired at the control center, hitting the meeting room window. Terrorists shoot a reserve officer who is injured.
08:05 – The terrorists throw a grenade into the open lobby of the control center and attempt to breach the reinforced doors.
08:14 – First door breached. They enter the reception desk area. One minute later, they breach the second door, shoot a non-commissioned officer who was protecting soldiers inside the control room—he is killed. A grenade is thrown in but fails to explode.
Arrival of Reinforcements:
08:15 – First force from Battalion 414 enters the base and splits into teams.
08:19 – Terrorists shoot at security cameras, disabling them.
08:24 – The control room door is breached. Soldiers inside fire at the terrorists, who throw a grenade. Three soldiers are killed, two wounded. By 08:29, terrorists take control of the control center.
08:29 onward – Combat becomes structured. Reinforcements arrive and begin clearing the base. Battalion 414 troops eliminate terrorists in the armory shelter.
08:37 – The deputy district commander is mistakenly shot by friendly forces at the gate, who thought he was a terrorist.
08:50–09:10 – Battles take place at the logistics building. One commander and one female soldier are wounded. The soldier later dies from her injuries.
Later that morning – Additional troops from the Counterterrorism School and the elite Yamam unit join the effort.
10:40 – The last two terrorists are killed. The battle ends and searches begin.
11:30–12:30 – Wounded soldiers are evacuated. The initial identification of the dead begins about an hour later.
Key Failures Identified:
Flawed Defense Concept: The base’s defense system was not designed to handle an actual infiltration. Drills were limited to small-scale incident responses and did not prepare for large-scale assaults.
Severe Communication Breakdown: Though the infiltration was known by 07:31, the alert was shared only via phone between commanders—not through base-wide communication. As a result, personnel continued entering the base unaware of the attack. This also led to the accidental shooting of the deputy district commander.
Manpower Shortage: Only 7 out of 12 required guards were on duty. No facility security officer was present at the time of the attack.
Main Conclusions and Recommendations:
While Hamas failed to fully achieve its goals—thanks to the quick action of soldiers and commanders—the investigation team recommended several major improvements:
- Update the base’s defense protocols to include various attack scenarios.
- Establish clear emergency procedures for duty personnel.
- Increase the number of armed personnel on base and improve their weapons training.
- Conduct regular joint drills with nearby units to ensure coordinated responses.
- Strengthen ties between the Home Front Command Southern District and the Gaza Division and Southern Brigade.
