Holding the LIne: The Police Response on Israel's Darkest Day  

This is a story about courage, bravery, and sacrifice. In the midst of unimaginable violence, Israeli police officers engaged armed Hamas militants despite overwhelming odds. Displaying extraordinary bravery and selflessness, officers rushed into danger to defend civilians and rescue the wounded. Their quick actions and courage under fire saved countless lives. Some of these officers survived to tell their stories, while others did not. Their bravery and sacrifice in those harrowing hours stand as a powerful reminder of the devotion of humanity that defines true service in the face of terror. 

This year, officers with the Police Unity Tour traveled to Israel. This tour, which began in 2016,  involves American and Israeli police officers participating in events, including bike rides and memorial ceremonies, to strengthen global cooperation and solidarity, especially in the fight against terrorism. In addition to visiting the sites of Israel, officers were taken to the site of some of the worst fighting that took place on October 7, 2023, a day labeled “the bloodiest day in Israel’s history.” These officers heard stories as told by the Israeli police officers and civilians who fought that day. 

While much has been written about the October 7 attacks, very little has focused on the actions of the police and just how instrumental they were in repelling the attack. When Hamas attacked, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was noticeably absent. Police officers, many armed with nothing more than a handgun, fought Hamas militants armed with automatic weapons. The stories that follow highlight the courageous actions of the police and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country and community. 

Background

At around 6:30 a.m. (Israel Time) on Saturday, October 7, 2023, Hamas announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood while most Israeli citizens were observing the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Hamas unleashed nearly 5000 rockets into southern Israel within the first twenty minutes. At the same time as the missile barrage, between 6,000 and 7,000 militants breached the wall separating Gaza from Israel. Of that total number, 3800 were Nukhba terrorists, members of Hamas elite forces. They arrived in pickup trucks, on motorcycles, speedboats, and powered paragliders. 

The militants attacked civilians in twenty-one communities, including a music festival near the kibbutz (community or village) of Re’im. The militants went through communities and began to kill men, women, and children indiscriminately, using automatic weapons and grenades. They recorded the carnage using body cameras to be used later for propaganda purposes. When the smoke cleared and the fighting was over, 1,195 people were killed, and another 250 people were taken hostage and held in the Gaza Strip. 

Nova Music Festival 

The first stop for the Police Unity Tour was the Nova Music Festival Memorial Site, which had the most significant number of casualties. The festival was a two-day rave featuring musicians from the psychedelic trance scene, a genre that began decades earlier in Brazil. The festival took place in the western Negev desert near the kibbutz of Re’im, approximately three miles from the Gaza-Israel border. The festival was scheduled to coincide with two Jewish holidays, the final day of Sukkot (October 6) and Simchat Torah (October 7). An estimated 3500 people, mostly between 20 and 30 years old, gathered for what was billed as a celebration of “friends, love, and infinite freedom.” 

But that all changed…

The festival featured three stages, a camping area, and a bar, all set under the canopy of Tamarisk trees. A symbol of hospitality, these trees are well-adapted to arid climates and provide shade in harsh desert environments. Under the shade, the attendees were enjoying the music, dancing, and moving about the grounds without a care in the world. Not far from the main stage was a police command post, staffed by approximately 30 police officers and over 100 security guards, medics, and rescue teams — pretty standard protocol for any large-scale event, especially one that was in such close proximity to Gaza. 

The festival gates opened at 11 p.m. on the 6th, and at 6 a.m., morning shift officers arrived to relieve the night shift, even as the music continued to play.  At 6:29 a.m., rockets and mortar shells began to rain down on the area. The police commander ordered the music stopped and the event halted. There were no bomb shelters, so the officers' primary challenge was to evacuate the area as quickly as possible. Most attendees tried to flee the area either on foot or in vehicles. The only route out was Route 232. The route passes through the Gaza envelope, which encompasses the populated regions of southern Israel within a five-mile radius of Gaza. Hamas fighters had taken control of the road. Some of them were dressed as police officers, making it easier to ambush those trying to flee. Many of the festival-goers were forced to turn back. 

By 7:25 a.m., the first injured person arrived at the medical tent while trying to escape. Police officers reacted quickly, establishing an alternative escape route through open fields that ultimately saved over 1,500 lives. Eight officers, equipped with nothing more than a handgun, sacrificed their lives while bravely fighting heavily armed terrorists. Their actions slowed down the terrorist advances, which gave enough time for attendees to escape. 

The officers who were still alive began to direct the remaining attendees to safety. One officer used a commercial vehicle to rescue attendees under heavy fire. However, not everyone was so fortunate. Twenty attendees took shelter inside an ambulance, but terrorists destroyed it with an RPG, killing eighteen. Another sixteen attendees found cover inside a large dumpster. They covered themselves with trash bags, all the while listening to screams and gunfire all around them. They survived for a couple of hours until 11:47 am, when a lone terrorist entered the dumpster and killed everyone inside. 

The stories of police heroism and the insurmountable odds that they faced are almost incomprehensible. Senior Staff Sergeant Debbie Abraham arrived at the festival at 5:50 a.m. and was in command of the police post. For hours, she called for military assistance, which never came. While under fire, she directed attendees to safety. By 9 a.m., with gunfire closing in, she urged everyone to flee. At the festival, there was a small bar located away from the main stage, aptly named “The Little Bar.” She ran over there to protect those who had gathered to take shelter from the gunfire. Her decision to go there instead of fleeing would cost her her life. The terrorists shot her first and then murdered the defenseless children afterwards. 

Although not assigned to the festival, Rani Guili, a member of the Israeli Police Special Forces, heard the sirens and went out to fight the terrorists. Along with members of his team, they responded to the music festival to carry out a rescue mission. The vehicle he was traveling in was ambushed on Route 232. He was shot in the shoulder and his leg. After gunshots disabled their car, Rani hid in the bushes, waiting for as many terrorists as possible to get close to him. Rani opened fire, killing fourteen terrorists, but he was eventually kidnapped and taken to Gaza, where he died. (On January 26, 2026, his body was returned to Israel and was the last hostage to be released by Hamas.) His courage is commendable, but what is more impressive is that he shouldn’t have been fighting in the first place. He was on sick leave due to a motorcycle accident from a week before. He put the lives of others before his own and, in doing so, made the ultimate sacrifice. 

Deputy Superintendent Nivi Ohana, commander during the Nova Music Festival (now retired), spoke to members of the Police Unity Tour about his decision-making during the attacks. Before the event, he had checked with the IDF about any possible terrorist attacks, and he received no response. He indicated that Hamas was not aware of the music festival in their attack planning, as the festival had been extended to the 7th just recently. Although 378 people were killed and 44 taken hostage, the number would have been so much higher had it not been for the police. Ohana told the officers gathered, “The police saved the State of Israel from being destroyed and prevented a much bigger result.” This view is widely shared among Israeli citizens. The IDF, whose mission is to secure the borders, was absent for whatever reason. The police answered the call and did so courageously. 

Twenty officers, including two commanders, risked their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Today, they are honored on the Wall of Heroes at the site. May their names never be forgotten: Sivan Yenin, Alona Astapenko, Sharon Leibovich, Yakir Blochman, Elior Ifrah, Sharon Rahmani, Aaron Markovici, Vitaly Karasik, Alik Pozdniakov, Malik Karim, Debbie Abraham, Yulia Daonov, Shai El Knafo, Alon Barad, Uriel Avraham, Alexel Budovsky, Andrey Poshivay, Emin Akhundov, J.R. Davidov, and Itzik Buzukashvili. 

Be’eri 

The officers traveled to several different communities that had been attacked. A couple of miles away from the Nova music festival site is the kibbutz of Be’eri. Before the attack, there were around 1200 residents. Gaza is only a few miles away and can be seen in the distance. Because of the proximity, many Gaza residents worked in Israel and were assisted by Be’eri residents. However, the close proximity also meant that it was one of the first communities attacked. As Hamas fired missiles into Israel, militants lay in wait for residents to leave their homes. Militants shot the residents as they fled towards the bomb shelters. 

Two years after the attacks, Be’eri is still recovering. Many of the homes still show signs of damage from the missile attacks, with caved-in roofs, while bullet holes pepper the homes’ exterior. Other homes have extensive fire damage from the missile attacks or the militants intentionally setting them ablaze. Be’eri lost 132 people, or ten percent of the population, with another 32 taken hostage. Construction is ongoing, and they hope to welcome residents back in spring 2026. 

Be’eri and the Nova Music Festival came to symbolize the devastation inflicted on Israel’s border communities during the opening hours of the October 7 attacks. But the violence did not stop there. As the morning progressed, Hamas militants pushed farther inland, carrying the fighting into population centers where residents believed they were beyond reach. One of those places was Ofakim.

To read Part II, visit: officer.com/55362442