When the murderous attack began on the Gaza envelope, Capt. Bar's tank crew from the 7th Brigade was alone opposite Khan Yunis and Rafah. Four fighters facing hundreds of terrorists who try to climb the heavy vehicle, damage the radio system and manage to puncture the oil tanks with anti-tank missiles.
Without hesitation, members of the tank crew traveled between Nirim, Ein Hashlosha and Kissufim - and killed more than 70 terrorists alone, reminiscent of the brigade's heroic stories in the Yom Kippur War. Bar was determined to help the residents of the communities, even when at the foot of the tank he noticed the body of his best friend.
"On the way, I encountered wounded soldiers, but the mission was clear to us: We are here to protect the citizens of the envelope, because it is their sovereign right to live near the border. With all the immense pain, I have to save hundreds of residents, not a few soldiers. It pinches your heart and tears you apart to see wounded and dead fighters on the ground, but you have to cut off the emotion, because breaking down is not a solution. In war, you act calmly," says Bar.
Documentation: IDF forces prepare for prolonged fighting in Gaza, last week // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Trophy stopped 8 RPG shells
Over the past three months, 23-year-old Bar and his friends in the brigade have taken up the line along the Gaza border. He and his team closed Saturday in the southernmost sector, with three more tanks located in remote sectors. "At 5:30 every morning we are on alert at dawn," he recalls last Saturday. "We checked that everything was okay, and suddenly rocket fire started. We immediately jumped into the tank. The brigade commander announced over the radio that there was an infiltration of terrorists near Nirim. We drove toward them, and less than a minute later, near Ein HaShlosha, we encountered a squad of four terrorists with a car and motorcycles. They fired at us with small arms, and we killed them with the machine gun on the tank.
"Within seconds, another squad appeared in front of us, this time with RPGs and IEDs. They managed to damage the radio before we eliminated them, and from that moment on I heard half reports. I managed to realize that there were dozens of terrorists in Kissufim. Near the settlement, we were ambushed by a large anti-tank squad. They fired eight RPG shells at us, and the tank's Trophy system managed to detonate almost all of them. We killed them too. I heard over the radio that many terrorists were surrounding fighters near Nirim. On the way there, hundreds of terrorists attacked us. They tried to get into the tank, so we kicked them out, shot them or ran them over."
Captain Bar (right) from the 7th Brigade // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
How does it feel to fight alone in the field?
"Loneliness. I understood how the commanders felt on Yom Kippur. A tank alone in front of hundreds of terrorists. But you have a goal – to prevent terrorists from infiltrating Israel."
How did you feel about the criticism that the army was allegedly absent from the field during the first few hours?
"The force was limited because soldiers can't catch a line for three months without getting some air. But even the few tanks that were there took down hundreds of terrorists. Thanks to us, there are no terrorists in Tel Aviv now."
An Israeli tank near the Gaza Strip, photo: AFP
The amount of encounters Barr's team has faced is extraordinary. The fact that they survived testifies to Bar's professionalism and command abilities. At some point, a squad emerged from behind them and fired anti-tank missiles at the tank's oil tanks.
How did you manage after hitting the tanks?
"I kept driving with a stuttering engine, and we took down link after vertebra. We continued like this until Kibbutz Reim, where the engine was bleeding. I went out under fire and filled up oil from the spare tanks, but it didn't help. The tank came alive. I walked with the crew to Gamma Junction, leaving the driver and loader with an infantry force. The gunner and I walked half a kilometer to a nearby post under fire, because I knew there was a tank whose crew had been hit. In front of the post, dozens of terrorists surrounded us and we ran inside. There I discovered that an officer from Golani had gone to fight with the tank. I organized the outpost, and we gave a strike of fire. We were 25 against 60 and pushed them away. I went out to Kissufim with the tank I got from a Golani officer, my gunner and two other crew members. On the way, we eliminated terrorists. In the kibbutz I joined the battalion commander from Golani and killed more terrorists."
How did your team conduct themselves during those hours?
"Despite the difficulty, the morale of the crew is sky-high. The beginning was bad, but it will end in our favor. The fighters are determined, alert and ready, thanks in no small part to the love and support of the residents of Israel."
IDF soldiers near Sderot, last week, photo: Reuters
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us