Tel Aviv, July 28 -- Against overwhelming odds and with minimal training, a four-member civilian security team at Kibbutz Sufa single-handedly prevented what could have been a massacre on October 7, according to an Israel Defence Forces investigation released on Monday.

The investigation, conducted by Lt Col Shemer Raviv, acknowledged the army's failure to defend the Gaza-border community against approximately 50 attacking terrorists. It also revealed how the kibbutz's civilian readiness squad -- outnumbered more than ten to one -- fought desperately to save their community as four infiltrators murdered one resident before being eliminated in close-quarters combat.

The attack began at 6:29 AM when a tank from the army's Sufa divisional ...