Elchanan Team was an operational team composed of brothers Elchanan and Menachem Kalmanzon and their nephew Itiel. The three fought for hours in battles against Hamas militants who carried out a massacre in Kibbutz Be'eri in the Gaza Strip area, The team rescued about 100 members of the kibbutz. In March 2024, it was decided to award the team the Israel Prize for Civil Courage for their actions in preventing the continuation of the massacre.

Background[edit]

On the morning of 7 October 2023, Saturday, Simchat Torah, the 22nd of Tishrei 5784, the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant organizations launched a surprise attack on Israel. Under the cover of firing thousands of rockets, approximately 3,500 militants infiltrated from the Gaza Strip into dozens of Israeli communities and military facilities in the area of the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, engaging in firefights with limited security forces. The militant carried out massacres and rapes, murdering 1,150 people, including 779^[1] civilians, and abducting about 253 people, including women, elderly and infants, to the Gaza Strip. In the early hours, they were confronted by reserve forces, Israel Police officers, Border Police fighters, and IDF soldiers who were outnumbered. In the battles, about 1,550^[2] militant were killed on Israeli soil, and on the Israeli side, 55^[3] police officers, 10^[4] members of the General Security Service, and 301 soldiers were killed.

One of the largest massacres in the surprise attack was the Be'eri Massacre, in which about a hundred civilians and security personnel were killed.

Course of the battles[edit]

When the brothers Elchanan and Menachem Kalmanzohn heard about the surprise attack on Israel on the morning of October 7, they independently arrived in the Gaza Strip area and took part in the battles before receiving official orders. They fought in Kibbutz Be'eri from 6:00 p.m., and their nephew Itiel joined them a little later. The team fought for about 16 hours under fire. At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, they encountered a militant dressed in black who was hiding in the corner of one of the houses and opened fire on Elchanan with a burst of bullets. Elchanan shouted 'I've been hit' and fell near the entrance of the house. His teammates shot at the militant and rescued Elchanan, but the militant was not killed. Elchanan lost consciousness. After the arrival of an IDF force that provided cover, Elchanan was evacuated to a field hospital, where they waited for his evacuation by helicopter to a hospital, but they were forced to declare him dead on the spot.^[5]

The Elchanan team rescued about 100 members of the kibbutz under fire and for many hours.^[6]

Tribute[edit]

In March 2024, Education Minister Yoav Kish decided to award the Israel Prize in the field of Rebirth and Civil Courage to the 'Elchanan Team' for their bravery in the battles on October 7.[8] The justification for the award stated: "Menachem Kalmanzohn, his late brother Elchanan, and their nephew Itiel Zohar left their home in Itamar on Simchat Torah to save the lives of residents of the communities in the Gaza Strip area. Despite being told they were not needed, they arrived at Kibbutz Be'eri and entered the besieged kibbutz time and time again for many hours, thus saving dozens of kibbutz residents. In the last house they entered, a militant lay in ambush and shot and killed Elchanan Kalmanzohn, brother of Menachem."^[7][8]

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