Lieutenant Colonel Doron Aloni, commander of the Lachish Special Operations Unit, stood by the barbecue in the yard of his home in Ofakim, seared the meaty steaks and looked proudly at his son Eran, who had completed basic training at Golani two days earlier.
Ten other soldiers from the platoon of the 51st Battalion were walking around on the grass. They took a bite of the fresh pita bread, drank fizzy drinks and recounted experiences from the grueling workouts. For a moment, Doron forgot the intense pain in his leg and the arduous rehabilitation he was undergoing. Three weeks earlier, he had gone to rescue his second son, Amit, from a Nova party in Reim. On his way, he encountered dozens of terrorists, was shot in the thigh and hit by grenade shrapnel, and while bleeding, one of his best friends fell before his eyes.
"I had a few minutes of forgetfulness and rest, until I noticed that Eran and his friends were getting together," he says, marking the 30th anniversary of his son's death. "I was worried. I figured Eran wouldn't tell me what was going on, so I decided to use my investigative skills. I called out to one of the fighters for small talk, and as I fumbled why they were whispering. The soldier said that the whole group entered Gaza the next day. I have never experienced such a panic attack. Have they just completed basic training and are already being sent to the most complex war in the history of the State of Israel?
"Until that moment I was sure that Eran would be sent for security activity in the territories. The warrior noticed my pressure and withdrew from his words. He said they would probably leave them only in the assembly areas. At the end of the evening, Eran confirmed things to me, and our lives turned upside down.
"From that day on, I went into a state of mourning. I had a feeling something bad was about to happen. Every time I heard the phrase 'allowed to be published,' it made me feel bad. I dreamed at night that IDF officers knocked on the door and told me that their hair had fallen. At one point, Amit was in reserve duty in the Gaza envelope, and when he entered Gaza he wanted to meet Eran. I forbade him. I was so apprehensive. I wouldn't let them both be in the same place."
Did you share your feelings with Eran?
"I can't call him in the middle of fighting and tell him to go home because my father is distressed. I also didn't share it with the family, so as not to stress. Ever since I was injured on Black Shabbat, I've put on tefillin every day, and every time I said the Shema Yisrael prayer, I asked God to watch over Eran. I felt helpless, until at some point I did something terrible. I prayed that Eran would be injured in Gaza so that he would be evacuated to Israel."
On 12 December, after three weeks of fighting, Eran (19) fell in the Kasbah disaster in Sejaiya, during which a Hamas underground shaft was located inside a residential building. The terrorists fired, threw grenades and detonated IEDs against the IDF. Seven Golani fighters were killed in the incident, including the commander of Battalion 13, Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg.
"Only Golani wanted." Eran in Gaza, photo: from the family album
Since Eran was killed, Doron (53) stopped rehabilitation and did not return to command the SWAT unit – a job that was his lifelong dream. "I'm hesitant about what to do next, because I'm not sure I'll be able to function at full intensity in the unit," he says honestly.
"It's the most interesting job in the police, the best police department in the country, and I enjoyed getting up every morning for the job. I planned to finish my term, but now I don't know what will happen. I didn't get back to myself physically, either. The leg is still weak and not functioning normally, it needs physiotherapy, but the head is elsewhere. How can a person go on after losing his son?"
Doron: "Every time I heard the phrase 'allowed for publication,' it made me feel bad. I dreamed that IDF officers were knocking on the door and telling me that their hair had fallen. At one point, Amit was in the reserves, and when he entered Gaza he wanted to meet Eran. I forbade him. I was so afraid."
"Looking for my son"
The longing for the fallen son emanates from Doron's entire being. On his right hand he wears a black Casio watch, which belonged to Eran, and unwittingly strokes it gently, as if he were a tender child in years. "That's what I have left of him," he whispers. "The watch makes me feel close to it. I even smell diesel fuel from it and believe it's one of the jobs Eran did on the Tiger armored personnel carrier inside Gaza."
The phone rings and reveals that the screen saver on Doron's cell phone is a photograph of his son, shortly before he fell. His hair is parted, his eyes are tired, but a huge smile is smeared on his face. The photo was taken by Eran's older sister, Omer, 27, while they were talking on a video call in which she informed him that he would become an uncle to a male son, who will be born in about five months. This will be the first grandchild of Doron and Jenny (52), parents of Amit (24) and Ofri (14).
She told him that he would become an uncle. Eran with his sister Omer, photo: from the family album
October 7 caught the family in their home in the police neighborhood of Ofakim, except for Omar, who was staying in her apartment in Beer Sheva. "On Friday at midnight, Amit went out with friends to the Nova Festival and I wasn't happy," Doron recounts the dramatic day. "Basically, I don't like these parties, and it was also too close to the border with Gaza. In the morning, we woke up to the sirens, and the SWAT group said that there was a suspicion of terrorist infiltration in Zikim. I asked my subordinates to come to the unit in Ashdod and called a colleague to fold from the festival. He replied that they also had rockets and were on their way to the car.
Before the inferno. Amit and his friends at a Nova party, photo: from the family album
"I left the house, drove about half a kilometer and then encountered terrorists in Hagefen Square, where I am supposed to turn towards Ashdod. I heard shots and saw four people dressed in black on the side of the road on the left, standing next to a white pickup truck. For a second I thought they were Special Patrol Unit officers, but immediately afterwards I understood what it was. They hit the window next to me and the hood, and two bullets hit the other side of the car, indicating that there were terrorists on the right side as well. The fifth bullet was critical, because it entered through one of the headlights and hit the engine. Another vehicle was driving in front of me, but they were only aiming at me because it was obvious that I was in a police vehicle because the chkalakas were flashing. I didn't get hurt in the body, I went ahead and made a U-turn in the direction of the terrorists to warn civilians not to come to the square. I called Eran, who was home for the weekend break from basic training, and asked him to look after the family. At the same time, I cocked the gun with one hand.
"The terrorists dispersed in the neighborhood, and I decided to continue to the Ofakim police station to take long weapons. It was a smart decision, because in the parking lot of the station the car broke down because of the engine damage. I grabbed one of the officers and told him that we would both go in a patrol car now to locate the terrorists. When we arrived, two more policemen were there today. Together we eliminated two terrorists who were in the parking lot of buildings. Only then did we see that they had managed to murder a few civilians, mostly adults who were in slippers and had apparently gone down from the apartments to the bomb shelters. A SWAT soldier joined us and I handed him the long weapon, because he's more skilled, and I took his pistol. I shot both guns like a sheriff."
Doron: "During the fighting against the terrorists, I took off my shirt, made myself a tourniquet, and with both hands blocked the wounds of Amiram, who fought alongside me. Even though we didn't know each other before, he asked me to send a farewell message to his wife."
Suddenly, Doron heard a ringing from his smartwatch. Only then did he notice that during the commotion, he had left his cell phone at the police station. "A colleague said they were shooting at him and I thought he was talking about missiles. I wasn't focused, so he said out loud, 'You may not understand, but terrorists are shooting at us.' I stopped on the spot and asked the officer for his walkie-talkie. I opened up about the wave of police officers who were at a party in bad guys and heard a world horror. They begged for help, said they were being killed, asked them to come and save them. These are police officers who were just before death. I decided to leave everything and go look for my son."
"Our lives have been turned upside down." Doron and Jenny with their son Amit at the family home, next to Eran's memorial corner, photo: Efrat Eshel
"We saw a catastrophe"
With no car, no phone and two guns almost empty of bullets, Doron debated how to reach the bad guys. Suddenly, one of his best friends, Lieutenant General Jay, stood in front of him. R. Davidov, who served as Rahat police chief and was his predecessor as commander of the Lachish Special Operations Unit. "It was a lifesaver for me. He arrived in a Caracal armored jeep, and with him were three policemen – David, Amiram and Niko – who were equipped with ceramic vests and helmets. When Jay. R. He said he was on his way to rescue revelers from the party, it was clear that I was joining him."
Were you protected too?
"I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but I didn't care about anything. Shortly after we left restrained, we saw a catastrophe. Burnt cars, bodies on the side of the road and cyclists shot. I was so imbued with purpose that I didn't realize it was a multi-arena event. At one of the intersections, we picked up a Border Police officer, Superintendent Shahaf Aharon, who had left the house to fight. Since there was no room, he went up to the open back of the caracal. Shortly after we passed Kibbutz Re'im, we encountered a terrorist standing next to a white pickup truck. Jay. R. He sat in front and told David, who was driving the jeep, to run him over and crush him against the van. From the force of the blow, the caracal moved slightly to the side and slid into a ditch on the side of the road.
"Within a second, we were in a shooting trap. The firepower was insane. Dozens of terrorists fired in our direction and threw grenades from the hill above us. We decided to strive for contact with what we had. We also knew it was better to go outside, because it would be a matter of seconds before an RPG was fired and the jeep lifted into the air. I think I was the first to be hit in the thigh by bullets and grenade shrapnel. The impact was close to the central artery and everything filled with blood. My leg was on fire and I couldn't step on it, so I got back into the jeep. While I was with a gun in one hand and trying to block the wounds in the other, David was hit in the hand by the gunfire. Jay. R. He went out into the road, trying to eliminate terrorists who were opposite, but he was shot in front of my eyes. It was an extermination zone."
Three of the six policemen were now standing alone against at least 30 terrorists. "Shahaf, Amiram and Nico were shooting in all directions. I heard Shahaf asking the Border Police force 500 meters behind us on the phone for help, but they also fought and couldn't get close to us. In less than a minute, a seagull also got a bullet in the thigh, and I saw that the terrorists were starting to close in on us. I was bleeding heavily, not knowing if I would be able to get out of this inferno alive. I thought about Amit and hoped he was in better shape than I was.
"Suddenly, I saw Nico approaching the terrorists' van, moving it and moving it closer to us. Amiram pulled me out of the caracal and put me, Seagull and David in the back. Since there was no room, he had a lower half of his body outside the vehicle. Then another crazy fire hit us. Amiram was hit in the back by bullets. Nico continued driving quickly toward the Reim junction, where a tank appeared to us. We breathed a sigh of relief, but it turned out that the terrorists killed the entire crew and burned the inside of the tank."
Weren't you afraid to drive in a pickup truck coming in from Gaza, with Israeli forces around?
"Indeed, a police Caracal fired at us and I offered to enter the Gaza Division base in Re'im, but there were dozens of terrorists there too. I felt dizzy because I had lost a lot of blood. We were all injured except for Nico, who was looking for shelter. The van started to heat up from shots that hit the engine and we went off the road into an open area. There were no shelters, hills, or even rocks, so we hid behind the van. Amiram was badly injured and I wanted to help. I took off my shirt, gave myself a tourniquet, and blocked his wounds with both hands. Two weeks later, I couldn't remove the clotted blood that had accumulated under my nails. Even though we didn't know each other before, Amiram asked me to send a farewell message to his wife. Fortunately there was no need for it."
While Doron was encouraging Amiram and asking him to hold on, he heard a loud noise above him. "An Air Force combat helicopter saw the white van and was sure we were terrorists," he continues. "We knew we had to move away so they wouldn't shoot at us, but we were devastated. Nico, who was the only one in uniform, was resourceful. He moved to the side, got down on his knees, put the gun on the sand and pointed to the police shoulder tag. The helicopter circled above us a little longer, apparently the pilot wanted to make sure, and then we saw him turn east and fire towards Gaza."
How long did you stay in this situation?
"After an hour and a half, without water or protection, a Border Police force rescued us in an armored jeep. The fighters went down to the area and bypassed the road with the terrorists. They took me to Ofakim and from there I got on an ambulance to Soroka. I took the driver's cell phone and called 'Omar. She and Jenny didn't know what I was going through. I asked about a colleague and they said everything was fine with him, that he hid behind a pile of hay and then walked with a group of people to settle a hammer. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"When we got to the hospital, I was shocked. It was a mess, full of wounded. I was bandaged and given morphine. I waited for surgery until night, but people who were in critical condition were put in front of me. Because of the load, I was taken to Assaf Harofeh, with the bullet still in my leg. The doctors there examined me and said there was no point in operating because the bullet was near the artery and in an area of delicate tissue. Three days later I was discharged because of the danger from viruses near open wounds and I continued the treatment at home."
"Matured us in one day"
Doron began his career in the police 31 years ago as a Special Patrol Unit officer. He went to an officers' course, and in 2006 served as the youth officer of the Beer Sheva police. He served in the Negev Police Department, managed the investigations against the head of the criminal organization Nivi Zaguri, and participated in the recruitment of the state's witness against him, Tal Korkus. In 2014, he served as an investigations and intelligence officer at the Be'er Sheva police station, and later served as head of the investigations and intelligence division in the Lachish area. In 2020, his investigators solved the case of the gang rape at a hotel in Eilat, in which four men raped a 16-year-old girl who was in a state of intoxication. He began his current position as commander of the Lachish Special Operations Unit about a year ago, in November 2022.
At the time, Eran was in a pre-military preparatory school in the north, after graduating from high school in the Nachshon class for leadership and excellence. "From the age of 16 he wanted only Golani, even though I served in Givati and Amit in Caracal," Doron smiles. "He participated in several preparatory groups for enlistment in the IDF, knew what he wanted and was focused on a goal. For preparation, he walked two kilometers with a backpack with stones in it, and even after the workout he returned home on foot. From an early age, he had a notebook in which he stated his goals in life. He wanted to be a fighter for family, friends and the country, and wrote that it was important for him to become an officer and pursue a military career. He chose the preparatory school on his own, met his girlfriend, Agam, and fulfilled his dream of becoming a fighter."
Jenny: "In seventh grade, Eran joined the Israel National Trail project, in which teenagers hike a different section each time, and that's how he got to know the country. He was a child of giving who volunteered at the kennel. Before enlisting, he cut his golden curls and donated his hair to cancer patients."
Jenny: "In seventh grade, Eran joined the Israel National Trail project, in which teenagers hike a different section each time, and that's how he got to know the country. He was a child of giving who volunteered at a kennel and studied dog training. Before enlisting, he cut his golden curls and donated his hair to cancer patients."
"I had a feeling something bad was going to happen." Doron with Amit (center) and Eran, photo: from the family album
Eran enlisted in March 2023 in the 51st Battalion and completed basic training and advanced training as a combat soldier and medic. The final beret campaign is scheduled for 26 October, the day the ground maneuver began in Gaza.
Did you attend the graduation ceremony?
Doron: "The beret ceremony took place at his school, Amal Amirim, and it was discovered to us by chance. When he saw us at the ceremony, he was embarrassed, because they asked our parents not to come. His commander, Liel Hayu, wore his brown beret. How proud their hair was."
It was one of the happiest days for the family. Amit survived the festival, Doron survived the inferno and Eran fulfilled his dream of serving in the Golani. "I was supposed to be the happiest in the world, but it wasn't like that," Jenny says. "In my heart I thanked God for spoiling me and giving me two miracles, but I was afraid that this cartridge was running out. I asked God that if Eran was supposed to go, he should take me instead."
Doron: "Nothing will fill the void that Eran has left. Last week we were visiting bereaved families with the president of Israel, and I cynically told him that we had met everything since Black Saturday, except for a kidnapping. We have a survivor from Hanuba, wounded and killed in Gaza."
The last time Doron and Jenny saw Eran was on November 29, about two weeks before he fell, while he was out to freshen up in Tel Arad. Doron, who was then in the midst of rehabilitation at the Warrior's House in Be'er Sheva, finds it difficult to talk about that day. He opens the phone and displays a video from the encounter. Eran looks tired from the fighting and embarrassed by his parents, who take pictures of him while he eats a sandwich. He asked to be driven to Arad to buy a gift for his girlfriend's birthday, which falls at the end of December. "I didn't like that he bought her a necklace a month in advance and before he entered Gaza," Doron says. "It just increased my fears that he might have a bad feeling, too."
Jenny: "We couldn't butt heads with him or tell him that it might bring bad luck, because we wanted him to return to Gaza with peace of mind. I kept the necklace at home and gave it to the lake after the funeral."
Doron: "A few days before this refreshment, Eran came home for the weekend. All Shabbat I hugged him as if it was the last time. I almost broke his ribs. In order not to worry me, he said that they had many hours without doing anything and that he was a little angry with us. He said that if we continued to be stressed like this, he would be upset and not alert. I looked at him and saw how much he had matured for us in one day."
"I shouted at them to go"
The phrase "Sejaiya neighborhood" horrifies every Israeli fighter. Hauser is considered one of Hamas' strongholds of resistance, and in Operation Protective Edge the APC disaster occurred there, claiming the lives of seven Golani fighters, including Oron Shaul, whose body was abducted and has not been returned to this day.
When Doron realized that this was where Eran was headed, the anxiety for his son's safety intensified. "Eran called on the first candle of Hanukkah and said he had to be in this sector because he was the only medic," he says. "It wasn't true, but he wanted me to leave him with my fears. Five days later, on 12 December, Amit was released from reserve duty and with a spontaneous decision we went to Eilat for the night with the children. At 20:33 p.m., I checked messages and saw that their hair was available on WhatsApp. I didn't understand why he didn't call to let us know everything was fine. I wrote to him, 'Alert, I see you turned on the phone, call whenever you can.' In retrospect, it turned out that he had not seen the announcement because he was no longer alive.
"Around 03:20 a.m., I woke up in a panic. I had a nightmare and couldn't remember what I dreamed. I checked the internet and social networks to see if anything unusual had happened in Gaza, but everything seemed fine because they hadn't posted anything yet. Just as I calmed down, there was a knock on the door. I thought it was a mistake or that someone from the hotel was waking us up because there was an alarm and we didn't hear, but when the knocking continued I looked through the viewfinder and saw uniformed officers. Next to the elevator was a paramedic. I know the procedure, so I refused to open the door, and one of the officers apparently heard me and called me. I yelled at them to leave, but Jenny let them in. She was in shock and asked if they were also announcing the wounded."
Jenny: "Doron grabbed his chest and broke. Everyone was crying around me. I was shocked. I asked the officers if they were sure they had come to the right family."
When did you find out how Eran fell?
"We gathered information from his friends and realized that they were on a mission to clear a row of buildings. H.M. Hayo was the first squad to enter one of the houses and was injured in the first explosion. Eran was outside and ran inside alone as a medic. He noticed that Hayo had been killed, went outside to report to the other commanders, and went back inside. At that moment he encountered the terrorists and was wounded, but managed to hide behind a staircase and from there directed the other fighters who were supposed to go inside. As soon as the second force entered the building, a second explosion occurred, killing Eran. Since then I have not found peace and try to take comfort in the fact that he was a hero. He was a kid, a rookie, who just wanted to look after his friends."
The next day, Eran was buried in the military section of the Beer Sheva cemetery. Jenny, a special education aide, insisted on saying goodbye to him while he was in the closet. In contrast, Doron hesitated. "Eran was intact, but he had scratches on his face," her voice broke. "I kissed him, caressed him and told him I loved him. When Doron came in, I refused to let him see Eran's face. Doron is the backbone of the house, I didn't want him to collapse. I took on that burden."
Doron: "Today I'm debating whether it was true and maybe I made a mistake. I just held Eran's hand and asked why he did this to us."
Jenny: Eran was intact, but he had scratches on his face. I kissed him, caressed him and told him I loved him. When Doron came in, I refused to let him see Eran's face. He's the backbone of the house, I didn't want him to collapse. I took on that burden."
Doron's eulogy at his son's grave did not leave one eye dry. "My alert, my beloved. Mensch wherever you were," his voice breaking. "We find it hard to believe. You are a flower that has just begun to grow, a child full of values and love of country. On October 7, you were at home like a spring and wanted to go out to fight. I said, 'Eran, stay, take care of your mother and family.' You had to be held. That cursed Shabbat, I went to rescue your older brother, Amit, and I want to ask your forgiveness, Eran, that I couldn't save you. I couldn't save you... What world do we live in when a father eulogizes his son? I'm proud of you, alert."
Doron: "I was planning to finish my term at the Chief of Staff, but now I don't know. I didn't get back to myself physically, either. The leg is still weak and not functioning normally, she needs physiotherapy, but the head is elsewhere. How can a person go on after losing his son?"
"Commemorate him"
Last week, Doron and Jenny opened the box with Eran's belongings. Between the uniform and the puck they found a dusty notebook in which he described the battles in Sejaiya every day. He also wrote about his love for the country and the importance of the Israel National Trail. "That's the way I want to commemorate him," Doron says. "I want to do a project with the Ministry of Education, because Eran wanted every child to be able to hike sections of the Israel National Trail so that they would get to know the country and connect to it. Eran would like it to be a tradition."
In less than six months you will become a grandfather. Would you like the first grandchild to be named after Eran?
"No way," Doron snaps. "A new boy, a new name. Nothing will fill the void left by us, the parents. Last week we were visiting bereaved families with the president of Israel, and I cynically told him that we had met everything since Black Saturday, except for a kidnapping. We have a survivor from Hanuba, wounded and killed in Gaza."
"You know," he whispers, "the thought that Eran is underground today is hard for me to bear. Sometimes I dream about him, but not about things we did together, but about the fact that he's buried in the dark, in the cold, alone."
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