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Israeli woman Inbar Lieberman, 25, hailed a hero for leading defence of Nir Am kibbutz against advancing Hamas
11 October 2023, 08:17
An Israeli woman has been hailed a hero for leading the defence of a kibbutz against a group of Hamas attackers.
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Inbar Lieberman led residents in a stand against more than two dozen advancing terrorists at the Nir Am kibbutz a mile from Gaza.
She led the defence which saw the entire kibbutz saved - and more than two dozen Hamas attackers were killed, including five she shot dead herself.
According to local news outlets, she heard sounds early on Saturday morning that were different to usual rocket attacks.
She raced to open the town’s armoury, distributed guns to the 12-member security team and co-ordinated a lethal response.
She sent the kibbutz’s standby security team to strategic defensive positions, and minutes later Hamas were spotted approaching the perimeter fence.
The team opened fire, killing two and injuring one - before more Hamas attackers arrived.
Her team had set up ambushes, catching the gunmen off guard and turning the tables on them.
Lieberman herself killed five, and members of her team killed another 20 men.
For about three hours, a fierce gun battle erupted until Israeli security forces arrived at the scene.
Ilit Paz, Nir Am’s cultural co-ordinator, told local news outlet Israel Hayom: “It was amazing. My husband was part of the standby unit that worked to prevent more casualties.
“They heard the shots and made contact on their own with other members of the standby unit and with Inbar - and they understood that they were told to be on standby.
“Inbar made a decision not to wait and be jumped operationally. In fact, the fact that they did it early prevented dozens of casualties.”
One person wrote on social media: ““When it’s all over, this woman will receive the Israel Prize. The story of her heroism is a story that will go down in Israeli lore for generations. Inbal is the reason there is one kibbutz in the entire surrounding area that remains unharmed — Nir Am.”
In Ein Habsor, a handful of local defenders staved off a larger number of armed terrorists.
Some of the most horrific scenes of slaughter by Hamas took place at Kfar Ana where a ‘massacre’ of innocent civilians took place.
The Israeli Defence Forces said up to 40 babies were killed, with some ‘burned alive’ and others ‘beheaded,’ it has been claimed by Israel.
Local security are said to have fought against Hamas for 17 hours before backup arrived.
"We have heard of 40 young boys, some of them were burnt alive, some were beheaded, some were shot in the head," Israel's economics minister Nir Barkat said.
"All the militants, all the infrastructure, the people supporting Hamas. We will wipe them out," he added.
Following the attack, Israel vowed to “wipe out” Hamas.