The battalion doctor, Dr. Bar, spent 60 hours straight in a tiger (Merkava armored personnel carrier) on the Gaza front, managed the medical system of a battalion that had lost a battalion commander, and participated in saving the life of a very seriously wounded soldier.
Ella, a paramedic who was drafted into reserve duty under Order 8, saved the lives of two battalion commanders and two wounded fighters, and in one case managed to treat a seriously wounded man in the cramped back corridor of a tank.
And Shaked, a paramedic in the reserves, entered the Gaza Strip on foot carrying a load of 25 kilograms, and treated four wounded fighters under fire.
The magnificent three, exemplars of courage and nobility, are part of 70 doctors and paramedics who fight alongside IDF forces maneuvering in the Gaza Strip. Three iron women who are not afraid to talk about their fear, after putting aside physical difficulties, studies, home and family - and came to save lives until victory. At the time of writing, after the resumption of fighting, they are again in Gaza. And sadly, this week Barr's and Ella's battalions suffered painful losses.
IDF tanks and engineering forces in the Gaza Strip. "Whole weeks without a shower", photo: Oren Cohen
Tough news in connection
Lieutenant Dr. Bar (27) serves on a permanent basis as a battalion medical officer of the 53rd Armored Battalion. She is married to Idan, who serves in the reserves in the Home Front Command. During the break, after 28 days in Gaza, she went for two days to freshen up at her home in Ramat Gan. "In the past I took part in operational activity in the Judea and Samaria sector, but in the current war I treated the wounded under fire for the first time," she says.
She enlisted in the IDF in 2015, initially as adjutants, but then decided to fulfill her childhood dream and went to study medicine at the Hebrew University, as part of the reserve's elite program. "The IDF badly needs doctors, so they allowed me to study, and six months ago I was appointed as a medical officer."
Lt. Dr. Barr (left) in the field. "There was also fear, but I decided I wasn't focusing on it," Photo: IDF Spokesperson
It entered the Gaza Strip on 31 October, as the headquarters of the Tiger Brigade Brigade. "Along with me are my second commander, a doctor in the reserves, three medics and a team of fighters from Golani – a total of 11 people. It's very crowded, it must be like that for 60 hours."
On 2 November, Bar's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Salman Habka, was killed. "We never imagined that such a situation would happen so quickly from the beginning of the fighting. Salman heard that the battalion next to us had been ambushed, so he took his tank and, without thinking about the dangers, went there to help. On the way his tank bumped in. I received a message over the radio that the battalion commander's tank had been hit, and based on the descriptions, I understood that he had been killed instantly.
"Still, we decided to go to him. I wanted to know that I had really done everything to try to save him. When we arrived we were under fire, and for several hours that night we didn't get permission to get out of the tiger. Only after they managed to stop the fire, towards morning, did we determine death."
Dr. Bar: "Because of my affection for Lt. Col. Salman Habeka, the battalion commander who was killed, I decided not to pronounce him dead in the field. I had to stay functioning, I didn't have time or space to fall apart and grieve. But he's always with me."
Who determined?
"My C.P.G. B. Because of my great proximity to Salman, I preferred that he do it. The bottom line is that a doctor in the battalion is a character who is part of the staff officers. And because I was closest to the battalion commander in Gil, we formed a special bond. Not long ago, Salman had his birthday, and so did I, and we sent emotional congratulations to each other. Before they entered Gaza, he called my husband to ask how he was doing, and also to praise me. It shows what a special character he was. As commander, Salman revealed himself in all his greatness on Black Saturday, when he arrived within hours from the north, immediately understood the magnitude of the incident and sent out tanks to fight in the kibbutzim and moshavim - a step that helped tip the scales.
"Because of all this, I decided that I would not pronounce him dead. I felt I had to stay functioning and keep the battalion's medicine in combat. I didn't have the time or place to break down emotionally, grieve, or visit his family. But he's always with me, accompanying me fighting inside. The last words he said in his last speech, before we entered, still resonate with us all: 'To battle and victory, to battle and victory.' That was Salman's spirit."
Lt. Col. Salman Habka, z"l. "A special figure", photo: IDF Spokesperson
Urgent evacuation by helicopter
The second serious incident that Dr. Barr treated occurred at the most unexpected moment, when her tiger team arrived at the brigade protector to rest for a few hours, refuel and stock up on food and water. For the first time in the battles, she took down the ceramic vest with all the medical equipment on it, since the protective brigade is in charge of medicine. "I didn't have time to open a can of tuna when suddenly they shouted that a soldier had been hit by a bullet. I grabbed the vest in my hand and immediately ran to the event. In retrospect, this was not a smart move, because the source of the shooting was not identified.
"When I arrived, there were two doctors there treating a soldier who had been wounded in the lower abdomen. They worked to stop the bleeding, and I started manipulating the rest of the things, including the paramedics. The soldier was conscious, I spoke to him. He was in pain, so I gave him a reliever. He was also very nervous, told me he wasn't sure he would come home. I reassured him that he would be fine.
"We treated him with four doctors, a paramedic and paramedics, who hadn't worked together before, and everything worked perfectly. Everyone did their part, and we managed to stabilize their condition. At the same time, we requested urgent evacuation by helicopter. We realized that if he didn't vacate soon, it would be hard to keep him alive. After all, to stop such bleeding must be an operating room.
"The helicopter landed 200 meters away from us and we ran towards it with a stretcher. We passed the stick to the 669 doctor, who took the wounded man to hospital. I was updated through the brigade doctor on the soldier's condition, and two days ago I came full circle and called him. There was a very moving conversation with him and his mother. He's already back home. He was very lucky that it happened in an area where there were so many doctors, so together we gave him a quick response."
Dr. Bar at the Gaza beach. "A meaningful experience", photo: IDF Spokesperson
Now that you're out for two days, how do you bridge the gap between the scenes of war and the relative routine at home?
"It was strange to suddenly get in the car and drive on Route 6, when just a second ago I was wearing a helmet and vest under fire. But that's the mission, and in the end, when I go home, I also understand the why: the knowledge that citizens, especially children, can move around our country without fear, because there are those who protect them and fight for it to happen. When I sit at home and there are no missiles, it's worth everything. The 'why' is also to fight so that the captives and missing will return home."
Parasol became "cheap"
One might ask how a single woman among ten men manages for 60 hours straight in a tiger? What do you do with pee?
"A jerrycan is prepared in advance," Dr. Barr smiles and brushes her light braid aside with a slight embarrassment. "A bottle of Fuse-T is enough. But I, as a woman, need a jerrycan with a big opening. I also made sure in advance to bring a long skirt of religiosity with me. This is a patent that one of the company commanders recommended to me. So just ask the boys to turn around, and do under the skirt. Later in the fighting, you could go out from time to time, and then you do it outside, close to the tiger sheep."
Did you stay with the same team the whole time?
"Nope. Over the course of 28 days, the team with me changed three times. Only I stayed the whole continuum. When I saw that the medics were running out of power, I decided to spare themselves. For me, as someone who reflects the situation to the battalion commander and builds the medical plan, it was important to stay inside, in order to continue managing the events behind the scenes and make the decisions without being disconnected from the field. That's my job, to integrate both the emergency events and the routine medicine of the soldiers and officers, whom I've been accompanying for the past six months."
So how long have you not showered?
"We didn't shower for three and a half weeks. Last week we have been organized for off-road showers, a kind of compartments connected to a water truck. Underwear is also very difficult to change inside a tiger. It requires getting everyone out, so you survive like that. And really it's small. It's worth the goal."
There is a public debate about women's combat service. On Black Saturday, we discovered that it is much more dangerous to be an observer than a fighter. How does the knowledge that there are women soldiers in captivity affect you?
"As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter a man or woman in captivity, a girl or a girl, a civilian or a soldier. Everyone needs to go home."
Dr. Bar: "After the bleeding stopped, we transferred the soldier on a stretcher to the helicopter. Through the brigade doctor, I was updated on his condition, and two days ago I came full circle and called him. There was a very moving conversation. He had already returned home from the hospital. He was very lucky."
I assume that alongside the activity there is also fear and apprehension.
"Of course. I suppose there are thoughts that go through men's minds just as well. Before I entered Gaza, there was fear, but I decided I wasn't focused on it. I understand the dangers and know what I'm getting into, but this is my mission, and I'll do it the best I can, to make sure I bring home as many soldiers as possible."
Any moments of humor?
"A lot. For example, we did a round, where everyone would tell us what he would eat when he got home, and one of the Golani soldiers showed with exaggerated hand gestures how he would dip challah in a matbucha salad. It has become the constant joke, as we all do the movements together. There was another funny moment, when one of the soldiers had to evacuate inside the tiger and couldn't wait. And it's no longer pee. So all that's left in such an experience is to laugh, and of course since then they haven't stopped reminding him of the magnitude of the event.
"The openness is very high. In the end, these are people who are together 24/7 for a very long time, so they share a lot of things with each other. There are also good experiences. For example, when we arrived at the beach. It was exciting, because that was the goal - to reach the sea. We stayed there for a few days. Three of my medics found a parasol and chairs on the beach, which quickly became 'cheap'. Flying the Israeli flag on the Gaza coast was a significant and moving experience. Of course, we took pictures, so we could send it to our parents."
How are your parents, really, in the midst of all this?
"Under pressure. My mother is classically Polish. But they understand the meaning and mission, and they support and care like any parent."
And your husband era?
"We've been together for ten years. He took part in all the decisions along the way and knew what he was getting into, even though maybe he didn't really understand where it would go... He is very supportive and proud. Without him, I couldn't have done it. At one point, when I was in Gaza, we hadn't seen each other for 40 days, and it was tough. We were able to talk a bit on the phone. When we met, we hugged for minutes. It was mostly a sense of relief and a sigh of relief that I had come home. And although there is nothing like my mother's food, which spoiled me, Idan is home. And I'll soon be back on missions in Gaza. We're not done yet."
An urgent call home
Staff Sergeant (res.) Ella (24), from Modi'in, was making final preparations to move to Jerusalem in preparation for biomedical science studies at the Hebrew University when Order 7 arrived on 8 October. She hurried to the 82nd Armored Reserve Battalion. During her regular service, she treated car accidents and routine medicine, but she encountered the first operational incident of treating the wounded under fire only in Gaza.
She stayed inside Gaza for four weeks, freshening up in the middle. Now she's deep inside the strip again, in the back corridor of a tank. "It's like a car garage, you can't stand, you can't lie down, and most of the time another fighter is there with me," she explains. "All in all, there are five of us in the tank, four amazing fighters, who it's really a privilege to be with, and me, the paramedic."
סמ"ר אלה באימונים. "בתוך טנק אין יותר מדי מקום לטפל בפצועים", צילום: דובר צה"ל
אלה נכחה באירוע מורכב שבו שני לוחמי הנדסה, סמ"פ ומפעיל צמ"ה, נפצעו קשה מירי אר.פי.ג'י. "הטנק שלנו הגיע לשם יחד עם פלגת הפינוי, שבתוכו היתה רופאה. פלגת הפינוי טיפלה בסמ"פ ואני טיפלתי בנהג הצמ"ה. שניהם היו דחופים. היה שם כלי רכב משוריין יותר מרווח מטנק, אז פינינו ממנו את הלוחמים והכנסנו לתוכו את הפצוע.
"הכל קרה באזור מאוים, תוך כדי שכוחות וטנקים מחפים עלינו. כולם עזרו לתפעל את האירוע. את הפצועים פינינו למנחת שנמצא בתחומי ישראל, ומשם נמשך הפינוי המוסק. למדנו המון לקחים מאירוע הזה, שהיה בו שיתוף פעולה של כמה צוותים במקביל".
אלה: "לפני שנכנסתי לרצועה היו בי חששות. יש קשיים בדרך, אבל זו תחושה של שליחות. אני באמת מבינה את החשיבות של מה שהצוותים הרפואיים עושים בעזה. יש אדרנלין, ולפעמים גם כיף"
אלה מסבירה ששני הפצועים הגיעו לבית החולים בתוך "שעת הזהב" - מונח רפואי המתייחס לזמן הקריטי שחולף מרגע הפציעה ועד לקבלת הטיפול בבית החולים. בתנאי מלחמה הסיכוי לעמוד באידיאל הזמנים נמוך בהרבה. "זה היה מטורף שבתוך 40 דקות הם כבר היו על המסוק. מפקד פלגת הפינוי תפעל את זה באופן מדהים".
את הרגעים המעטים שאחרי פינוי הפצועים למנחת בישראל ניצלה לשיחה עם הוריה ועם החבר.
"היו שם אנשים עם ניידים, וביקשתי להתקשר. לפני שנכנסתי לרצועה אמרתי לאמא שלי, ולחבר, שזה עניין של 48 שעות, כי זה מה שאמרו לנו. אבל הימים חלפו, ולא היה לי איך לעדכן שאני בסדר. אז בבית באמת דאגו, עד שהשיחה בינינו הרגיעה אותם".
בהמשך טיפלה אלה בשני מג"דים שנפצעו קשה מירי נ"ט, בשתי תקריות שאירעו יום אחרי יום.
"הגענו ראשונים למג"ד שלנו, שנפצע ונזקק לפינוי חירום מיידי. הצליחו להרחיק אותו מהאש, ואני טיפלתי בו טיפול ראשוני במשך עשר דקות, עד שפלגת הפינוי הגיעה והמשיכה את הטיפול בו עד לפינוי המוסק. למחרת, לרוע המזל, גם המג"ד שהחליף אותו נפצע. הסמ"פ, שנמצא איתי בטנק, ניהל את האירוע באופן מופתי, תחת אש. הוא הצליח לקרב את הטנק שלנו לטנק המג"ד, וכשהכלים התחברו העבירו את המג"ד למסדרון האחורי של הטנק שלנו.
"זה לא פשוט לטפל בפצוע בתוך טנק, אין שם יותר מדי מקום. היה איתי עוד לוחם, שהוא לא חובש, אבל קודם לכן הכשרתי אותו כדי שיעזור לי במצב כזה. יש הרבה סטיגמות בעניין הקושי לטפל בפצוע בטנק, וגם לי היו ספקות בנושא, אבל ברגע האמת עושים מה שצריך - ומתברר שזה אפשרי".
אלה: "בגלל שאנחנו טנק רפואי הסיטואציה מורכבת, אבל יש גם יתרונות. אני יותר קטנה מהבנים ומצליחה להשתחל למקומות צרים. יש לי צוות שהכי דואג לי. אם אני צריכה לצאת לשירותים, יש תמיד מישהו שמחפה עלי"
למישהו נשברה אצבע
לא רק קור רוחה של אלה סייע להפוך את הלא אפשרי לאפשרי, אלא גם ממדי גופה הקטנים. במשך 30 דקות, עד לחבירת הטנק למסוק במנחת, טיפלה במג"ד הפצוע והצילה את חייו. "הוא קיבל טיפול מיטבי, וגם הלוחם שלצידי עזר לי מעל ומעבר. ברוך השם, שני המג"דים חשים היום טוב. התרגשתי במיוחד לראות את המג"ד הראשון חוזר לפעילות וללחימה. גם המג"ד השני כבר פוקח עיניים ומתקדם. הוא מסר לי ד"ש ותודה".
באירועים כאלה יש אלמנט של הלם?
"אין הלם. זה משהו שאנחנו מתאמנים עליו המון בהכשרה הארוכה. אנחנו מוכנים ויודעים בדיוק איך להתחיל, כדי שלא ניכנס לבלבול ונוכל לרוץ עם זה. יש בהחלט הרבה אדרנלין. לפני שנכנסתי לרצועה היו בי חששות ואי־ודאות. זה לא תמיד קל, יש קשיים בדרך, אבל זו תחושת שליחות. אני באמת מבינה את החשיבות של מה שאנחנו עושים בעזה, ובפרט מה שהצוותים הרפואיים עושים.
"חוץ מזה, בהתחשב במצב ובנסיבות, יש גם תחושה מסוימת של כיף. אני מוקפת אנשים מדהימים וגם מצחיקים. בשלושת השבועות הראשונים כולם היו מסריחים באופן קיצוני, אז נרקם הרבה הומור בעניין. היה אירוע שממש נקרענו בו מצחוק: בלילה עם גשם זלעפות אחד הלוחמים היה חייב לצאת מהטנק, לטפל בכמה דברים. הוא חזר אחרי חצי שעה, ספוג כולו במים וחסר אונים. לוחם אחר אמר לו: 'המקום שאתה נמצא בו עכשיו הוא הכי נמוך שאי־פעם תהיה בו. מכאן רק עולים' - וכולנו צחקנו. בדיעבד זו היתה דווקא מקלחת טובה נגד הסירחון..."
אלה מדגישה שלצד אווירה קלילה וחברית, חשוב לה ליצור בטנק גם אווירה רצינית ומכילה. שהרי בסופו של דבר, ארבעת הלוחמים שאיתה לא נחשפו קודם למראה פצעים פתוחים. "בגלל שאנחנו טנק רפואי הסיטואציה מורכבת. אמרתי לצוות: 'תקשיבו, זה לא משהו שאתם אמורים לראות. אתם רואים דברים באמת קשים'".
איך מסתדרת אישה בטנק עם צוות גברים?
"יש יתרונות. אני יותר קטנה מהם ומצליחה להשתחל למקומות צרים. יש לי, ברוך השם, צוות שהכי דואג לי ואני סומכת עליו. אם אני צריכה לצאת לשירותים, אני מתאפקת עד שאפשר יהיה לעצור, ואז תמיד יוצא מישהו שמחפה עלי. בשירות הסדיר שירתי כבת יחידה עם בנים, כך שזה לא חדש לי. אני לא מרגישה חוסר נעימות.
"אחרי שהחיילים ראו אותי מטפלת בפצועים, זה נסך בהם המון ביטחון. הם מרגישים שאם חס וחלילה יקרה להם משהו, יש כאן מישהי שתפקידה הוא לשמור עליהם. הם פתאום סומכים עלי ויודעים שהם יכולים להתייעץ איתי ולבוא אלי בכל בעיה רפואית. מעבר לטיפול בפצועים יש גם הרבה רפואת שגרה - למישהו נשברה אצבע, לאחר נתפס הגב - ואני שם גם בשביל זה. האמון של החיילים בי נותן לי המון כוחות".
גורם מדרבן נוסף נרשם ברגעי הכניסה של אלה לעזה, כשהטנק שלה ושל צוותה חלף על פני מראות הטבח באחד הקיבוצים בעוטף. "ראינו בתים שרופים עם הכיתוב של זק"א. כשראיתי את זה, הבנתי מייד שאין שאלה - אנחנו עושים את הדבר הנכון. אנחנו מבינים מאה אחוז למה אנחנו כאן ועל מה אנחנו נלחמים. זה נתן לי המון מוטיבציה".
ולהבדיל אלף אלפי הבדלות, איך את מרגישה מול מראות ההרס בעזה?
"אני רואה את זה בעיקר דרך המסכים בטנק. זה אכן הרס נרחב. לראות בית ספר הרוס ונדנדה שבורה ליד, זה כואב".
Do you have the strength to continue?
"Totally. My studies will wait. As long as the war continues, I'm in reserve. We are obliged here. The tremendous support from the home front gives us all strength. Send endless cakes and notes. We don't have room in the tank for everything, and we're getting fat. It's very exciting. There are notes from children, mostly my cousins, that I kept in my pocket. When we were freshening up in the south, people begged us to come to their house to shower and eat."
When she got home during respite, to her parents and a friend, she indulged in simple food. "Vegetable salad, omelette and bread is worth it. After all the processed food in the tank, I wanted something fresh." Her parents, she says, are as worried as the other parents, but doubly. "My brother is a regular soldier in Eguz. Luckily, he came out just as I was leaving and we met after not seeing him from the first holiday of Sukkot. And that's it, after resting a bit, I'm going south again, to continue the mission."
A minute on the red phone
Capt. (res.) Shaked (26) is a paramedic in the anti-tank company of the 6310th Assault Battalion in the Jerusalem Brigade, in which veterans of the Nahal and Magellan Platoon serve. In civics, she is a second-year medical student at Soroka in Beer Sheva and works as a paramedic in MDA.
On Black Saturday, she received three emergency calls. "They called from Soroka that they needed students, because the operating rooms were collapsing. I was also called from MDA to arrive urgently for a 24-hour shift. I had already started organizing, and then Order 8 came along that won it all." Alon, a water engineering student and her partner for the past four years, who serves as a reserve soldier, also left the house with her.
Captain Shaked. "War gives me experience", Photo: IDF Spokesperson
"Alon is fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, and I'm in the center. We are out of sync on our ports. He left Gaza to freshen up when I was inside, and now I'm outside and he's inside. The only communication between us in the past month was an emotional 60-second conversation on the red phone, after Alon managed to get my power number. I hope that at the next exit we will be able to synchronize."
She entered Gaza with a battalion that crossed the border and marched in on foot, carrying a personal weapon, helmet, ceramic vest and a large bag belonging to a senior medical practitioner. "It's a bag that has all the medical equipment, really a small field hospital – medicines, surgical equipment and ventilator equipment. All in all, about 25 kilograms." In Gaza, she fought for two and a half weeks and dealt with three incidents: RPG fire, the detonation of an IED and sniper fire.
"The medical squad, which includes me and a medic, is at the center of the forces that are divided into teams. We heard over the radio that one of the crews had hijacked an RPG into a building. At the same time, strong Kalashnikov fire began. I was about 50 meters away from the force, and within a minute we came under fire to the building. We found two wounded, one from shrapnel above the eye and in the leg, and the other with severe back pain from the blast.
"Together with the paramedics, we stopped the bleeding, treated the pain, and within 12 minutes we evacuated them both on stretchers, on foot, to the site of the evacuation team. Both are fine now. One is still hospitalized, and the other has been discharged."
Shaked: "Gender doesn't play a role in this. The soldiers with me trust me as one of them and trust me. In missions I am a fighter in every respect, just like them. Of course, hygiene and privacy are a bigger challenge for women, but we get by."
This was not the first time Shaked treated war wounded. As a paramedic in regular service, she treated local wounded who came from Syria, and in Judea and Samaria she treated the wounded under fire. "But here the threat is much greater," she explains, and the bright, calm smile that never escapes her face clashes with the content of her words.
"At the age of 6 I decided that I wanted to be a doctor, but I really wanted to be a fighter as well, so I decided to test my suitability and love for the field through the role of a combat paramedic. There is a different adrenaline in treatment in military uniform compared to treatment in MDA or Soroka. In military medicine, unlike civilian medicine, I treat people I know, who are my second family in recent times. When they're injured, it's much harder. I feel that this is the great military challenge."
In another incident, Shaked joined a small force that embarked on operational activity to thwart enemy operations, two kilometers from the location of the main force. "There was sniper fire at the force. Luckily, the bullet hit the fighter's hand and not in a critical place. The fighter was very painful, but with high morale. We immediately put a tourniquet and turned back. When we got to a safer place, we changed to a bandage to save the injured limb."
Shaked: "Two soldiers were cut from sharp iron, so we stitched them in the field, and they stayed to fight. Every time soldiers here see me, their first question is: 'Am I staying or am I being evacuated?' – when the strong desire is to stay. The brotherhood of fighting is strong."
Shaked explains that as a lesson learned from Black Sabbath, when 130 limbs were amputated as a result of tourniquets placed for too long, the battalion emphasized switching to a bandage that does not stop the blood flow to the limb. "Since the fighter was not evacuated by helicopter, I didn't know how long it would take before he reached the hospital, so we made an effort to preserve his limb. As far as I'm concerned, the quality of life of the injured person is no less important than life itself."
Overlaps with dry shampoo
On the third incident, in which an IED exploded near the force, Shaked initially chooses not to elaborate. "There were no wounded who were evacuated," she explains. But then she says that one of the soldiers was hit in the eye by shrapnel, and she pulled it out in field conditions, which allowed the soldier to return to fighting. In view of my admiration, she explains that this is the routine. "There were two soldiers cut from sharp iron, so we made stitches in the eye and nose in the field, and they both stayed to fight. The soldiers have high morale. When they see me, their first question is: 'Stay or evacuate?' – when the strong desire is to stay. Even if someone comes out with a minor injury, within 24 hours they come back. The brotherhood of fighting is strong."
As a woman, did you have to prove yourself more?
"From the moment I was discharged from the regular army I was assigned to reserve duty in this battalion, as a paramedic. They got to know me and trust me. Gender doesn't play a role in this. They trust me as one of them. I see it in the missions and activities I embark on. I'm a fighter in every respect, just like them. Of course, hygiene and privacy are a bigger challenge for a woman, but you can manage. I go outside to the bathroom and ask the boys to turn around. I trust them.
"When you don't shower for two and a half weeks, put deodorant on the dirt and clean your face with wipes. The adjutant officers in the battalion sent me dry shampoo. That helps, too. In any case, it seems to me that the goal is higher. The wind is so strong, so everything is dwarfed by the hand."
What about fear?
"Good question. The only fear I felt was the first night, when it was dark and no light was allowed. It was the first time I encountered complete darkness. But high morale trumps fear. I feel protected. There is reciprocity here. The lives of the fighters depend on me and my life depends on them, so together we create a sense of comfort even in such a threatening place."
At night were you able to sleep?
"Inside, you don't really sleep. Waking up early, and also doing guard duty every night. Sleep itself is not deep, because there is a noise of shelling and there is vigilance. In the moments of silence, I also think a lot about Lalon, worry about him, because I'm sure he's in the same situation as me."
How do your parents react to all this?
"With mixed feelings, both concerned and proud. They are very connected to the mission and know how much I love it. My mom is the queen of packages, shipped in less than three weeks five, with a special talent for getting everywhere. When I left, they came to get me, and of course the first thing I ate was Mom's schnitzel."
Shaked's dream is to become a gynecologist. "The fighters laugh at me that in this field there is not much chance of gaining experience in Gaza. I want to engage in something joyful, to bring life into the world. I really want to find myself in delivery rooms. At the moment, medical studies are set aside, until the war is over. As a future doctor, war gives me experience both in access to patients and in composure and dedication. It gave me a stamp that this is really what I want to do."
There is a huge gap between a combat front and a delivery room.
"Only when I went home did I realize how much life for soldiers in Gaza, cut off from the media, is at a different pace. But our stay inside is what makes life outside possible. Black Saturday left a huge scar, and everyone understands very well that Hamas must be dismantled and the abductees must be returned. I feel that everything is a very large orchestra of the people of Israel, soldiers as civilians, those outside and those who are inside. I really feel a huge privilege. Glad I walked in and thankful for the supportive spirit. In the day and a half I was at home, I couldn't stop thinking about the fighters, and I already want to go back to the mission."
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