On 7 October, the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade was part of the ongoing security forces in the Gaza Division, with tanks deployed throughout the Gaza Strip. Like the other forces along the line, the armored fighters were shocked to see the thousands of terrorists who rushed into Israeli territory at 6:30 a.m., raided the settlements and outposts, and massacred soldiers and civilians.
"The ceasefire is fragile. Our job is to be ready all the time," Photo: IDF Spokesperson
The commander of the 7th Brigade, Col. Elad Zuri, quickly understood that this was a war, jumped everyone he could, and went south himself. Since then, despite the loss of 16 fighters, and several more who are still listed as missing or abducted, the brigade under his command has managed to recover, lead the ground maneuver of the 36th Division, and even take over the Shifa area.
In a special interview with Israel Hayom, Zuri talks about his heroism and difficulties, and promises that the forces under him will do everything possible to meet the goals of the war.
"At 6:30 in the morning I received a call from a friend, who is a former commander of mine. I phoned the battalion commander, who said he was under Hamas raids and would update me. I immediately headed south and had a quick assessment over the phone. By a quarter to eight I had already declared my preparations for war – it was enough for me to hear that there were Hamas raids. I still didn't understand the magnitude of the incident, but I understood that a war had begun."
Like lions
The fighters of the 7th Brigade fought fiercely that day against the masses of terrorists. "They reported that they had detected an entry into the territory of the country and did everything in their power to kill as many enemy forces as possible. There are many heroic stories from this day, of commanders and fighters who stopped the attack with their bodies and tanks. For example, a tank driver who continued driving alone while running over terrorists, or a company commander who skipped dozens of kilometers and killed a lot of terrorists. An entire battalion fought like lions, killing dozens if not hundreds of terrorists. It's very proud how people fought on this day, both as individuals and as framers."
We are happy to have the opportunity to be part of a just war, the purpose of which is to restore security to the State of Israel and to enable the safe raising of children in this country
Despite the heavy loss, from the moment the situation in the Gaza envelope stabilized, the 7th Brigade combat team under Zuri's command began preparing for the maneuver. Together with Golani's 12th Battalion and the 603rd Engineering Battalion, the 7th Brigade led the divisional battle of the 36th Division, which broke through from the center of the Gaza Strip, in the Bari area, to the coastline. "There were many encounters, taking over Hamas outposts, killing terrorists, finding intelligence aids that enabled us to learn about the enemy. From the shoreline, the brigade continued towards the Rimal neighborhood, the occupation of the Unknown Soldier's Square and the legislative building," Zuri describes.
The greatness of armor
In the next stage, Zuri commanded the occupation of the Shifa Hospital area, and was responsible for isolating it and locating the terrain beneath it. During the operation, the brigade received intelligence that the bodies of soldier Noa Marciano z"l and abducted Yehudit Weiss z"l were found in the area, and with the help of the 603rd Engineering Battalion they managed to locate them and bring them for burial.
On the coast of Gaza. "The armor has always been in its greatness", Photo: IDF Spokesperson
"A sense of mission. We will continue until victory," Photo: IDF Spokesperson
If you had been told before October 7 that you would lead a raid on Shifa, would you have believed it?
"Even before October 7 I believed there would be a war, but to say that I thought the 7th Brigade would have the right to conquer and encircle Shifa? I didn't know. I did think we were capable of anything, and we will continue to act in this way until victory."
What can we tell us about Hamas' fighting?
"They are not an organized army, but they fired RPGs, activated IEDs, booby-trapped houses, placed IEDs on the vehicles and fired small arms fires. It's not the Syrian army, but when they get opportunities they try to harm us. They fought. But is this something that knows how to stop the 7th Brigade or the IDF? Absolutely not."
It seems that the armor has returned to its greatness, and on the other hand, its vulnerability against the anti-tank is once again revealed.
"The armor was always in its greatness, not everyone understood that. It takes a war every few years to remind us of this. The tank is a safe, reliable and stable tool. Neither immune, nor impenetrable, even with a 'windbreaker'. There is no substitute for fighters. We are not free of mistakes or mistakes. It's like Iron Dome, where even when it works, missiles still fall in Israel."
To what extent do you estimate that Hamas battalions were hit in the places where you fought against them?
"Very badly damaged, the infrastructure in the places we hit was destroyed. Is all power dead? Probably not. Some of the terrorists fled, some south, but in places where we met an enemy we won, and we will continue to do so."
About borrowed time
Like the entire IDF, after a month of fighting, last Friday, the 7th Brigade also embarked on a few days of lull in the fighting, during which the fighters gained strength and the tools were prepared for the future. "I look at it as borrowed time, and every day we are engaged in increasing readiness for the next battle. The ceasefire is fragile, and our job is to be constantly prepared for the moment when it breaks out. The pause makes it possible to realize some of the goals of the war – the return of prisoners and missing persons, but there are other goals, and the war does not end."
How long do you think the IDF needs to topple the Hamas regime?
"I think a significant amount of time is needed, which is hard to measure in days or weeks. There is also a matter of stages. Not every stage will look like the stages we are in now. The goal is the most important one - the toppling of the Hamas regime."
Exposure of a tunnel at Shifa Hospital, photo: Reuters
IDF forces in the hospital area, photo: AP
Col. Zuri says that despite the days of respite, his fighters are really waiting to return inside, and "are happy to have the opportunity to be part of a just war, the purpose of which is to restore security to the State of Israel and allow children to be raised safely in this country.
"Many of the fighters, including me, haven't gone home since October 7, but I don't see burnout. Is it easy? Not. But we are fighters and that's our job. It's a tremendous sense of mission. Whenever someone has a dilemma, they think back to October 7. Even if we are told that the ceasefire is now ending, we know what to do and how to meet our missions. There is nothing more just than this war, and we will not end it until we complete the victory over Hamas and restore security to the State of Israel."
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