Interview with the officer who protected his soldiers at the Gaza military base on October 7/IDF spokesman, Amir Bohbot
Major Omar Hajajara, 28 years old, was born in Yfi'a at the foot of the mountains that overlook Nazareth and Migdal in the north. He enlisted as a fighter in the Givati Brigade, successfully completed an infantry officers' course, held training and command positions up to the position of MP as defense commander at the base General Staff camp in Tel Aviv and then was assigned to field positions in the Civil Administration at the IOSH. In
August 2023 he was appointed to the first position at the border of the Gaza Strip as the commander of the Liaison Office at the Erez crossing. "I was told in the admission interview that Gaza is something else.
It's not Iosh. It's quiet until something big happens. You have to pay attention to every little thing. All the months I was there it was quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Only disturbances, but to the south. Not in our area."
Until the massacre came on October 7.
Major Omar Hajajara at the entrance to HML/Amir Bohbot
On Friday, the day before the major attack by Hamas on the Israeli home front, Major Omar worked with his soldiers with unusual intensity at the Erez crossing from the early morning hours until the afternoon hours to transport Palestinians for medical treatment in Israel. Soldiers of the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, he went to his room and fell asleep. On Saturday, he woke up to the sound of alarms and explosions at the IDF's Coordination and Liaison Headquarters in the Gaza Strip, only hundreds of meters from the border fence.
When he was in uniform, Major Omar took his weapon and ran To the shield near the officers' quarters in accordance with the procedure to defend against falling mortar bombs and rockets.
While falling in the area and hearing the incessant explosions, he calls HML to get a situational picture and commanders contact him to understand what is happening in the field. "During the conversations I feel something is not good.
I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen," he recalls in an interview with Walla!. "Not only a very unusual amount of rockets.
The whole base is shaking.
I decide to leave Migonit despite the falls (there were already falls at the AB base) and run to HML.
It was clear to me that I could hijack a missile or a rocket, but I had to understand what was going on."
Omar was at this stage just before entering HML and while standing in the corner near the wall, he looked towards the roof of Erez Pass and saw five terrorists on it.
"I see them armed with guns and I recognize long Kalashnikov cartridges," he recalled.
"I take a picture and send a picture to the commander of the military headquarters (Col. Moshe Tetro AB).
I don't understand that there is a war.
Not close to understanding.
Only this is an infiltration by terrorists.
I call the manager of Erez crossing.
I know he has people down there and I tell him: 'Get them in quickly.
There are terrorists above."
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Hamas hacking into the Gaza military base/documentation on social networks according to Article 27 A of the Copyright Law
Then Major Omar enters the headquarters of the military police, looks at the cameras and sees a squad of suspects. In retrospect, the terrorists walk along the wall with vests and weapons approaching the military headquarters and shoot everywhere.
"It wasn't clear if these were the civilian security guards of the Erez Pass or terrorists. I see one of the terrorists with a white hat and then I give the officer I'm with a slap on the back and tell him: 'These are terrorists. Stay here. I'm going to the company of the 13th Battalion to tell them that the terrorists have crossed You set the fence and they are here."
Hajajara comes out with a weapon pulled from the military and hears a huge explosion as the terrorists blow open a hole in the wall at the back of the base. "I run to the fighters of the 13th battalion and I see that they are ready for battle.
I tell them that the terrorists are already here," he repeats. As he runs back, he already hears Golani fighters open fire on the terrorists. At least one terrorist is killed and others are wounded.
"I arrive at HML, take the announcement and announce a procedure for infiltrating the base," he A number.
"I know that everyone is in protective gear because that is the procedure when there are rockets and rockets.
I shout to lock myself in the rooms and for those who are close to the HML to come. I call the soldiers to make sure they understood what I said. While I am speaking in the announcement, I see on the cameras that there are terrorists in the S.G. I have a soldier there on guard and I do not leave him alone. I leave the HML." L, charges, steps on the weapon and fires two bullets into the air.
The SHG explodes in front of my face (the terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at the protected position where the soldier was and then another anti-tank missile at the gate - AB). Shrapnel flew at me. It takes 5-10 seconds to recover. They were there between 8 - 5 terrorists and they see me and I see them."
From the video of the Hamas terrorists/documentation on social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law
"The whole sector is under attack - do the best you can"
Major Omar conducts a long firefight with the terrorists and he is exposed to them. He shoots slowly and accurately to hit and then kneels down. The soldiers report to the commanders that Omar was hit and he is bleeding from the head and stomach. "My goal was to delay the terrorists from entering the base and at this time the soldiers who hear The shots, it will be enough to hide and lock yourself in the rooms.
I hurt terrorists.
I don't give up and they throw a grenade at me."
The terrorists managed to damage the power lines, the communication lines and paralyze the camera system of the HML.
In the last phone call that goes out from the HML to the commander of the military, Col. Tetrow, who is in the rear, a report is conveyed that apparently Omar was killed in a shootout after severe head injuries to his head (he appears to be bleeding severely and his uniform is full of blood). Tetrow calls the commander of the northern brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, and tells him that his force in the Defense Ministry needs assistance and rescue, and he replies: "The whole sector is under a major attack."
The troops ran to the settlements.
This is war.
Do the best you can."
Major Omar was hit by shrapnel again, continuing to fire the shortened M-16 rifle until he ran out of ammunition.
He pulls out his "Glock 19" pistol, shoots at the terrorists and when he realizes that shooting is no longer effective, he decides to retreat back and flank a building and return to HML. He closes the door of the military police station behind him and therefore another door, arms himself with cartridges and loads bullets.
So he feels the need to go outside when he hears the continued shooting to rescue more soldiers, but an argument begins in HML as to whether it is right to open the doors protected from gunfire and go outside while the base is full of terrorists. He opens one door and as he comes to open the other door he hears Screams in Hebrew. Despite the ringing in his ears and the atmosphere of war, he recognizes the voices of the combat assembly soldiers who activated the observation balloon shouting for help through the door and opens the door with a weapon drawn. The terrorists followed them to the entrance of the military compound inside the building and shoot everywhere.
Major Omar conducts a short firefight. One of the soldiers was hit by a shot and collapsed. Two other soldiers entered the HML unharmed and the fourth soldier arrived with a serious injury to his upper limbs.
Major Omar Hajajara/Amir Bohbut
"Rabbi Barih's door was no longer closed. Because of the power outage, the magnet did not work. I sat the wounded soldier down. I tied tourniquets to him and returned to stand at the door with a drawn weapon," said Major Omar and added: "The terrorist stood on the corner of the entrance and fired on the door.
I hear them handing out instructions in Arabic, orders, handing out ammunition they collected from the base.
At this time, the soldier is bleeding in the chest. We strengthened the H.A. and it didn't help. He stopped responding."
Hours pass and Major Omar is still standing with his weapon drawn ready for any development at the entrance to HML with the door open.
Around 5:30 p.m., a force of the Yalam and paratroopers unit recaptures the Erez military base and clears the area.
Suddenly a force from the Yalam unit arrives at the opening of the Hmal.
"I'm with a barrel drawn forward to the opening. Hours passed, but because all eyes in HML were on me I couldn't be under pressure.
I protect them.
You don't think too much just prepare if terrorists come what will you do.
There were eight other soldiers with me in the HML, a total of 25 at the base. When I heard orders in Hebrew, I relaxed."
Omar and his men were completely cut off and did not know what happened in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli rear.
When he went outside to scan the base, the most difficult moment for him came - to see fallen soldiers.
When he began to tell about the sight of the bodies, the officer stopped the interview and took a deep breath.
"The Hamas terrorists mistreated them. When the medic arrived he told me that I had to evacuate because I was full of blood. I was so stressed I didn't look at myself at all. I was only thinking about the soldiers," he says and recounts receiving the message that three soldiers from the base had been kidnapped: Ron Sherman, Nick Beiser and Tamir Nimrod
"I knew all three of them," he shares.
"We worked together during the transition. These are difficult moments. I don't stop thinking about everything. Since then I always have two vest cartridges in the car. I only manage to fall asleep at night because I know I did everything I could."
Nick Beiser (on the right) and Ron Sherman who were kidnapped from the Gaza police station/documentation on social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law
Tamir Nimrod who was kidnapped from the Gaza police station/documentation on social networks according to Article 27 A of the Copyright Law
During the interview, an IDF armored jeep stops at the entrance to the military police station and the driver shouts from a distance of 30 meters while turning on the siren intermittently as an act of respect: "Thank you Omar, O king. Thank you for saving us, a hero. We love you Omar, thanks to you Existing".
"Why did I enter Gaza to fight? They entered my base. I will enter again," promises Major Omar. "I did everything to save soldiers.
I approached the terrorists five meters away from them to delay them.
What surprised me?
The number of terrorists.
The amount of weapons, missiles, ammunition and grenades.
I'm used to IOS when a terrorist comes and hits one bullet and all the other bullets don't hit. Here they were professional. I feel the pain of all the soldiers and families. It hurts me a lot."
Later, horror stories surfaced about the burning of the rooms, the hiding place that some of the soldiers found, a soldier who stood a meter away in a bathroom from two terrorists who did not notice him, an officer who miraculously survived, looting and gun battles including an amazing story about a soldier who remained on the roof of one of the buildings until the rescue arrived.
Major Omar was taken to the hospital, admitted for medical treatment and removal of the shrapnel from his body with only the scars now remaining. "I will continue to serve," he states firmly. "We continue to give a big hug to the soldiers.
But I don't forget what happened here.
The soldiers in the Palestinian Authority took care of them. We gave them permits for humanitarian aid. For their children. For their adults and their old women. Everything is here and in the end they destroyed the crossing. The Gaza Strip makes a living from the crossing. And in the end you harm the crossing? The soldiers? Where does their faith come from? Who are these people anyway?"
More on the same topic:
Gaza war
War of Iron Swords
Gaza Strip
Hamas
IDF