They lost their best friends, and watched in the videos as the war room that was their second home was reduced to rubble. However, the observers who served at the Nahal Oz post decided to volunteer for the reserves, in order to replace the soldiers who were murdered or abducted to Gaza.
Shayetet 13's takeover of the Sufa outpost (archive) // IDF Spokesperson
In normal times, observers do not serve in the reserves, since the operations rooms must remain fully staffed by female soldiers who are confined to screens. They left jobs and plans for liberation trips abroad and put on uniforms, out of Zionism and out of appreciation for their friends who would never return.
"The destruction was shocking"
Even before the scale of the October 7 massacre became clear, Dana (22) thought about the lookouts serving in the Nahal Oz war room. She served there as a commander until a year ago, and all her thoughts were with the soldiers under her command, dozens of whom were murdered or kidnapped. On the same day, she informed the IDF that she intended to volunteer for the reserves.
"They would like us to keep the sector in place," Noa, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
"I wanted to contribute to the defense of the state and the citizens, but I also do it for the observers," she says. "It keeps echoing in my head that I could have been with them in Nahal Oz. There were girls there that I recruited. Anyone who did not serve in this position is not familiar with the life of the operations room and the special connection between the observers."
Dana, who lives in the Ben Shemen youth village and works at Ben Gurion Airport, has been staying in the Re'im war room for the past two weeks. Between shifts, she hardly slept. "I saw the pictures of the place where I served, the destruction, and it was shocking. The war room burned down, and with it my heart."
Weren't you afraid to return to the scene after the massacre?
"My stomach turned along the way, but I'm here for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives. In their memory, we renewed a custom that exists only among observers. Every Friday we cooked ourselves a festive meal, called T-Time, and sang songs written by observers about their personal experiences. On Friday we did a different T-Time. We gathered in a circle and sang only the songs, because there is no time to cook right now. It warmed our hearts."
"It's a tough job"
Recently, Noa (21) tried to meet with one of the operations room headquarters in Nahal Oz, where she served, but to no avail. "She was my soldier and we kept in touch, but we both worked shifts – she's in the army and I'm at Ben Gurion Airport. When the Gaza raid came out, I texted her question marks and saw only one check on WhatsApp. I wrote that I was begging you to answer. I had hope that she ran away from there, but she was murdered."
"There is a special connection between the female observers", Dana, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Noa, a resident of Tzur Yigal, was discharged a year ago after also serving as a commander in Nahal Oz. She is now stationed at the Yiftah operations room in Zikim, located near the northern border with Gaza. "I was sure I was coming to help my soldiers, but unfortunately I'm replacing them. I feel like they would like us to keep the sector in their place."
Was it hard to get back on duty?
"It's a tough job, but I didn't think twice. I want to serve in the reserves after the war as well, because we need to build a new force of observers and give them overlap. I would also like to visit Nahal Oz again. It was my second home.
"I imagine the fear of the murdered observers. They knew what was going on, because they had sent messages to the family that they loved them. It's a shocking situation. Since then I have trouble falling asleep, I have nightmares. We sleep in the war room and hardly take a shower, because every exit requires an escort of armed fighters. Being here is an ongoing fear, but I wouldn't have acted any other way."
"For my girlfriends"
Lior (21) also volunteers in the Yiftach war room. During her regular service, she was an observer in Nahal Oz, under Dana's command. "At first I heard about the infiltration into the kibbutzim, and as far as I'm concerned, my friends in the war room are fine," she recalls. "I was released ten months ago, and most of the observers there are my friends. I left messages for the officer, but there was no response. Then they started uploading videos on Telegram, and I saw the outposts and the massacre. I also saw the girls who served with me. I recognized the hair, the body structure, and I see another friend and another girlfriend and dozens of terrorists taking over the place.
"It was clear to me that I was volunteering for the reserves and replacing those who were murdered and kidnapped. I have to finish what my friends started. This is for them. I've been here for two weeks without seeing the house. I didn't even go to funerals. When I finish the missions, I will come to comfort the families."
Lior is scheduled to fly to South America in February for a late release vacation, but she assumes she will stay in Israel. "Because the operations rooms lost a lot of spotters, I assume that the IDF will need us even after the war. I'll be here as long as they want. In the war room there are observers and headquarters who were here that Saturday, and you can see the difficulty on them. One of them activated the see-shooter system and killed terrorists. I hope our help lifts their morale. We are here so that the citizens know that there are those who protect them."
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