"We are in a lot of contact with the enemy. The attack has not weakened, but, on the contrary, it is in full swing. We don't stop and charge forward," says Lt. Col. Tom Peretz, deputy commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, in a conversation from Khan Yunis. Three months after starting the war, the armored fighters do not stop for a moment, and operate in the heart of the hostile Gaza city.
Fighters of the 7th Brigade were on the perimeter fence on Black Saturday and encountered the terrorists first. In truly heroic battles, they fought against thousands of terrorists, eliminated many of them and prevented even more severe damage to the Israeli home front. Since then, they have been fighting, first in the northern Gaza Strip, opening the Netzarim corridor, attacking government institutions in the heart of Gaza City, and now operating deep inside Khan Yunis.
"The spirit here is strong." The 7th Brigade in Khan Yunis, photo: IDF Spokesperson
"Every day is a day of battle. We have very significant achievements. The enemy operates in a very sophisticated manner," says Lt. Col. Peretz. He says that the fighters took part in the attack on the heart of Khan Yunis, including reaching the home of the city's brigade commander and the home of Yahya Sinwar. "The goal is to topple the Hamas regime, return the captives and missing persons, and return the residents of the envelope to their homes," clarifies Staff Sergeant 7. "It's on our minds all the time. These are missions that you can't return to Israel without."
"There is always air support"
"Encounters with an enemy are daily. We manage to kill a great many enemies and encounter widespread cynical use of the population. In every second house we find weapons. There are houses here where civilians and terrorists are together. Contrary to what has been said, there is no way we are embarking on operations without air support. Do whatever it takes to complete the task. The wind here is strong."
Shortly before they entered Khan Yunis, I met with a tank crew from the Vulcan Company. This is our second conversation, though it is the first face-to-face. Our first meeting was a few days after 7 October, the day they killed more than 80 terrorists in a heroic battle near the Sufa outpost, thereby saving the kibbutzim in the area. Since then they have been together, first training and then fighting inside the Gaza Strip - until today.
"Closure"
"We had no doubt from the first moment we would go inside, and we waited for the day of the order. There is no greater mission than that for us, we are defending our home," says Nitzan, the gunner. Elia, the tank claimed, shares that for him, too, this is a real mission. "It's an amazing feeling, we were privileged to be in this war."
"Encounters with the enemy are daily." Lt. Col. Tom Peretz, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Idan, the tank driver, says that the feelings at the first entrance into Gaza were challenging, even though there was already significant fighting on Black Saturday. "This is an area where a Jew hadn't set foot for many years until we entered. Once we've crossed the fence, it feels like getting into really cold water. You don't have to do it gradually but just go in. Two deep breaths and go in."
And the commander, Ido, sums it up most clearly – they started the fighting on 7 October, but it is the IDF that will end it once and for all: "As far as I'm concerned, the activity in Gaza is closure. Just as they crossed in, so we are crossing with much more strength and strength in order to restore the security of the residents and defend Israel."
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