Morag and Sagi celebrated Simchat Torah at their home in Kida in Binyamin with their nine children and their tenth child on the way – Morag's seventh month of pregnancy.
On Black Saturday at 08:45, the reserve battalion commander of the 71st Paratroopers Battalion called to jump Sagi. "Rumors and stories were already circulating in the synagogue, and when I got the phone call, I got to the base as soon as possible to get organized," Sagi says.
Documentation: Paratroopers Brigade Combat Team Attack on Hamas' Military Intelligence Office
A few hours later, the battalion joined other elite units that had already fought in the village of Gaza, where they participated in rescuing the residents and cleansing the kibbutz of terrorists for four days. After that, Sagi and his comrades were sent to training bases, and he was not home continuously for about three weeks.
"Almost all the men in the community were bounced"
"Almost all the men in the community were bounced," Morag says. "The feeling leading up to the birth was very tense, and we didn't know if he would go into labor or not. Just before Sukkot, our eldest daughter got married, and her new husband was also called up to reserve duty, and in the meantime she returned to be at home with me."
And so, during the lull, on Monday morning, Morag called Sagi, and he immediately boarded a friend's car in the direction of Hadassah Ein Kerem, with Morag and her eldest daughter passing the contractions together in their car. Sagi arrived at the hospital about half an hour before the birth.
"The hospital staff understood the situation," adds Morag, who is in her tenth birth at Hadassah Ein Kerem. "The midwives and nurses kept telling me, 'Don't worry, even if he doesn't make it, we're here with you.' They supported and enveloped me with great love."
Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
She says excitedly: "The children were also much more involved than in a normal birth. My eldest daughter who accompanied me all the time, as well as the younger children who in the last two months took care of everything I needed in the house."
"The head is busy fighting and the state"
Sagi emphasizes that during the war, thoughts about the future of the country trump thoughts and worries about the family and about the birth.
"The battalion commander took us to the village of Gaza from zero to a hundred. At this moment, you're not just thinking about birth – you're thinking about the future of your country. In such historic moments of rescuing people and saving lives, everything is left aside for a moment – work, family. The whole head is about fighting and the state."
The happy couple concluded before Morag was released and Sagi returned to his reserve battalion in Gaza: "We were privileged to give life at a time like this, the feeling is amazing and strong."
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