Photo by
Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL on 11 March, 2025
‘From the Ruins’: Kibbutz Clinic and Symbol of October 7 Attack, is Demolished
Jerusalem, 11 March, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- One of the symbols of Hamas’s October 7 attack — a dental clinic on Kibbutz Be’eri — was demolished on Tuesday to make way for a new clinic and educational building.
“The demolition of the clinic, which became one of the symbols of the October 7 attack, is a significant step in the process of reconstruction and renewal of Kibbutz Be’eri and the entire Tekuma [Gaza border] region,” said Aviad Friedman, head of the Tekuma Directorate, which is overseeing the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure.
“From the ruins of the clinic where terrorist acts were committed, an educational building will be built that will contribute to strengthening the resilience of the residents of Be’eri and reflect our commitment to providing all the communities in the region with the best infrastructure to build a prosperous and secure future,” Friedman said.
This decision to demolish the clinic followed a sensitive dialogue process with both the kibbutz community and the bereaved families.
Nochi Mandel, head of the Defense Ministry’s Ofek Hadash administrative unit, which is also involved in the area’s rehabilitation, said the dental clinic “became a kind of forward post, to which the wounded from the Kibbutz Be’eri emergency squad were transferred” until the building was eventually captured.
“We are partners in building a new infrastructure in this very place that saved lives. A place that will grow into a secure future, with the will of the heroes who were murdered there accompanying it forever,” Mandel said.
According to an Israeli military probe of the attack on the kibbutz, there were 1,071 people present at Kibbutz Be’eri celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah on the morning of October 7. The kibbutz was initially attacked by 25 Hamas terrorists from the Nukhba unit. By midday, the number of terrorists inside Be’eri had swelled to around 340, including those from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, smaller factions, and looters. Some of the attackers had come from Kibbutz Re’im, the site of the Nova Music Festival, on their way back to Gaza.
The probe found that the last stand at the dental clinic took place at 2:30. The clinic’s last five defenders — three members of the kibbutz’s civilian security team and two civilian medical professionals — were simply outnumbered.
It would be about another hour before soldiers arrived at Be’eri and began engaging the terrorists.
Killed in the assault on Be’eri were 101 civilians and 31 security personnel, including soldiers, police officers and members of the kibbutz’s civilian rapid response team. Of the 30 people taken captive to Gaza from Be’eri, 11 are still being held hostage. Israeli forces captured and interrogated 18 terrorists there.
The construction of the new educational building is part of an initiative to centralize educational facilities within the kibbutz. Along with this new building, a kindergarten, and an innovation center will be established.
The broader rehabilitation plan for Be’eri includes the reconstruction of approximately 500 damaged buildings, including 470 residential units, 45 public buildings, and critical infrastructure. Many of these structures sustained heavy damage, with around 130 homes and 11 public buildings slated for demolition. The Tekuma Administration has allocated a budget of approximately NIS 470 million ($129 million) for the effort.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.
