The Nir Am kibbutz was one of the first Israeli settlements to come under attack when Hamas terrorists poured into Israel early on Saturday morning. The local residents put up a fierce defense and drove the attackers away from the kibbutz, which was one of the first Israeli settlements to come under attack.
Adam says, “I took my pistol, my clothes, my bulletproof vest, and the other thing was cigarettes,” as he calmly recounts being roused from his bed by the sound of gunfire at 06:30 on Saturday morning. “I took my clothes, my bulletproof vest, and the other thing was cigarettes,” Adam recalls. “We started to kill everyone who came to the fence.”
It has been said that he is the savior of his kibbutz, which is a settlement of about 400 people and is located barely 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Gaza. He has been called the hero of Nir Am.
“I took the walkie-talkie and I said this line again and again: ‘No-one will enter Nir Am, no-one will enter Nir Am.'”
Because Adam is 46 years old and a former member of special forces, we are not allowed to display his face or use his entire name. He is a boxer and although he is not the largest man, you would not want to mess with him. His head is shaven. It should come as no surprise that he can handle himself.
According to him, there were other males from the kibbutz who joined him.
“Civilians who aren’t trained in combat yet have a lot of heart but aren’t able to battle. Two or three of them have experience serving in special forces, while the others are just regular males who work in the information technology field. Normal guys, but with something very extraordinary about them.”
Adam isn’t precisely sure, but he thinks that they fought together for somewhere between three and five hours. After that, there was a period of calm.
“At first, we felt everything was under control; but, when the second wave of terrorists arrived, there were between eight and ten of them armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades… They were within 10 to 15 meters of one another. I ran up to them, took a stand, and then shot and killed both of them with a gunshot to the head.”
In the midst of this intense firefight, what emotions was he experiencing? “My mind is regular I’m a warrior, I’m a fighter, this is what I’m built for.”
And he was well aware of the stakes involved. According to him, the individuals who lived in Nir Am would have been killed, much like those who lived in other kibbutzim, which are communities organized as collectives and are frequently farms.
“They will flee to the houses, where they will murder the women and the children.” Because of that, we continued to battle and kill. We did not allow anyone to enter the kibbutz at any time. There was no one wounded.”
At this time, inhabitants of Nir Am are staying in a hotel in Tel Aviv. They are unsure of when they will be able to make their way back. Adam is concerned that some people will have excessive fear.
He expresses his gratitude for the kind hospitality. “It’s very warming, it’s like another house,” according to him. “And all of Israel has sent us clothes and food.”
However, even in this location, the evacuees’ safety is not guaranteed. The warning sirens for the subsequent rocket attack disrupt the conversation we were having. Adam leads us in a composed manner to the shelter, where a number of families are crowded together and some of the youngsters are sobbing.
Because we are located in the south, it is of no concern to us. Adam states that this occurs frequently in our family.
Adam has some harsh words for the Israeli government, particularly with regard to the inability of the country’s security services to anticipate and prepare for the attack.
“The problem is with our management. They are currently being evaluated. He adds that the people in charge of us do not deserve us.
During the extraordinary onslaught by Hamas on Israel, over 1,300 people lost their lives, and at least 150 people were taken prisoner. Israel has replied by carrying out air assaults on the Gaza Strip, which have resulted in the deaths of 1,300 people. Additionally, it has sealed the border, prohibiting fuel and food from getting into the country.
But what about the years to come?
Adam believes that the majority of people living in Gaza are decent individuals who yearn for a normal existence, but he advocates for the use of overwhelming military force to deal with Hamas.
“We can’t have the same solution, we need something much, much stronger,” according to him.
However, he claims that he opposes the deployment of Israeli troops inside of Gaza. “They want us to do that because they have traps in there,” the Hamas leader explained. It would be inappropriate to do so.”
The only person from Nir Am to lose their life was a young man who was attending the music festival that was attacked by Hamas. Adam and the other members of his civilian force ensured the kibbutz’s safety.
