Don't entirely agree. Rebuy tourney strategy is to gamble more in a bid to accumulate chips without risk of knockout, i.e. treat the rebuy period much the same as a cash game.
If the tourney was a freezeout people (who can play properly) will behave differently and not gamble anywhere near as much as they do in a rebuy (generally speaking). So yes, you have technically knocked someone out - but if the same situation arose in a freezeout that person is less likely to have called (or raised) "all in". Naturally, if you both have big cards the result may well have been an all-in scenario, but in a freezeout those scenarios occur a lot less frequently in early stages. In a rebuy there is often all-ins with Ace-rag.
I guess what I am saying is that I agree with you in a sense, however, to us in our rebuys, a player is not knocked out until they leave the tourney - either cos they chose not to rebuy in the rebuy period, or they were knocked in the freezeout bit.
We also do double chance freezeouts which is a bit between a rebuy tourney and a freezeout tourney. They get 8000 chips for their £100 buyin (or whatever), but only receive 4000 of it. If they go all in and lose they get their other 4000 chips. After 90 mins at the first break, all those that haven't asked for their last 4000 get them then. This allows for one failed all-in before going out (hence double chance). Players if they choose can have their 8000 all up front but by doing so remove their double chance option. The point is, here too if you win against another player all in - you have not knocked them out either - especially as they don't have to dig into their pockets to stay in.
So whilst you say a hit is a hit (which I agree with) a hit is not necessarily a knock out. A knockout is a knockout
Just my opinion you understand.....