'A new home built for a different life': Be'eri home at the center of Oct. 7 hostage crisis cleared

The ruins of Pesi Cohen's home, which was destroyed on October 7, were cleared on Wednesday as part of the Tekuma Authority's program to rehabilitate, renew, and develop the kibbutz. 

The house was located in the Ashlim neighborhood in Kibbutz Be'eri, where all other destroyed homes were cleared six months ago in February. Cohen's house was the last remaining testimony to the devastation of the neighborhood, left standing until now due to military investigations into the battle that took place there and its outcomes, including attempts to understand how 13 hostages were killed in that house.

It was alleged that given an impossible choice over whether to continue to allow the Hamas forces to present a danger and given few clear-cut options for rescuing the hostages, Brigadier General and commander of the 99th Division Barak Hiram ordered a tank to fire on the house, destroying it and killing everyone inside, terrorists and hostages alike.

Among the losses included two children, long-time residents, and guests of the Kibbutz.

Pesi Cohen's daughter-in-law, Sharon Cohen, said, "Dear Pesi, your home was filled with warmth, love, acceptance, and inclusion, but on October 7, it became a place of unbearable grief and endless pain. Today, the ruins of your house sting and ache in every part of our bodies. We will rebuild Be'eri, and this will be our victory and our revival, together with the return of all the hostages."

Omri Shifroni, who lost four family members on October 7, including his aunt Ayala Hetzroni and his cousins Liel and Yanai Hetzroni, who were taken hostage in Pesi's house, commented, "The demolition of the house is neither closure nor a fresh start; it is a painful wound that emphasizes the loss and absence. But we cannot remain with the ruins. While the scars in our hearts cannot be healed, here, a new home built for a different life. We hope it will be as good as the one we once had."

Kibbutz Be'eri's secretary, Gili Molcho, stated, "These days, as the community transitions to temporary housing in Hatzerim, we are working on the physical rehabilitation of the kibbutz. So far, 30 homes and public buildings have been cleared, with hundreds more still to be demolished and renovated. After clearing Pesi's house, the reconstruction of the Ashlim neighborhood will begin. The clearing of the ruins is a painful reminder of the great devastation experienced by Kibbutz Be'eri, but it also symbolizes hope for future recovery."

During the events of October 7 at Cohen's home, the following individuals were murdered: Hana Siton, Yitzhak Siton, Tal Siton, Pesi Cohen, Liel Hetzroni, Yanai Hetzroni, Ayala Hetzroni, Ze'ev Haker, Zehava Haker, Adi Dagan, Chava Ben Ami, Tal Katz, and Suheib Abu Amr.

The survivors of the hostage-taking crisis at Cohen's home are Hadas Dagan, a Be'eri member who lost her husband, Adi Dagan, and Yasmin Porat, who escaped from the Nova music festival to Be'eri. The incident resulted in an IDF probe, as Israel's special forces and IDF soldiers fired extensively on the house, leading to calls for a thorough investigation into the decision-making process and actions taken on the ground.

Investigations into how the IDF failed to protect Kibbutz Be'eri

The investigation team determined that the IDF failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be'eri. Regarding the shelling of Cohen's home, the report stated that no civilians inside the building were harmed by the tank shells, except for a specific case outside the building where two civilians were injured by shrapnel. It was also reported that the commanding officers were unaware that six hostages were in the house's yard and that most of the hostages were murdered by the terrorists holding them.

After the report was published, Brigadier General Barak Hiram, who commanded the operation in Be'eri, met with the families who had lost their loved ones at Pesi Cohen's house. In their meeting, Hiram reportedly acknowledged the military's failure on the Kibbutz and listened to comments made by families regarding his conduct on October 7. 

The IDF probe of the battle of Be’eri on October 7 cleared Hiram, commander of the 99th Division, of allegations that he ordered the killing of hostages who were mixed in with Hamas terrorists.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.