Shayetet 13 commandos in the battle of Sofa Outpost
(Vide: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
On Saturday, the first day of the Swords of Iron War, both regular and reserve units of Shayetet 13 commandos were rapidly airlifted in response to reports of infiltration at the Gaza border, joining ground forces engaged in combat with terrorists in Gaza border towns and at sea.
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Regular forces arrived first, followed not long after by reservists, who arrived from home at their base in Atlit within hours. They organized for combat and reached the border region shortly after that.
The forces operated in numerous locations, with the main focal points being at Kibbutz Be'eri, Sufa Outpost, Kfar Aza, Sa'ad, Mefalsim and Nir Oz. Throughout the battles, Shayetet 13 commandos eliminated over 60 Hamas terrorists and rescued some 250 hostages alive.
During the operations, 26 terrorists were detained, including deputy commander of Hamas's southern naval brigade Muhammad Abu Ali. Two members of the unit, Lt. Col. Eli Ginzburg and Staff Sergeant Ofek Russo, were killed during the operations in the Gaza border area.
At Sufa Outpost, Shayetet 13 forces arrived significantly outnumbered, facing dozens of well-armed terrorists who had managed to organize and fortify themselves with numerous hostages, some of whom were injured.
The Shayetet force took position and received fire support from armored and air forces, initiating an intense battle that lasted several hours. In the end, the commandos eliminated or captured all Hamas forces, totaling 40 terrorists, and successfully rescued the hostages.
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Weapons seized by Israeli commandos during the fighting
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"A Shayetet force arrived at Sufa Outpost with the aim to liberate the position from Hamas control and neutralize the terrorists," says Major H., the commander who led the fighting at the outpost.
"We killed dozens of terrorists and took prisoners, among them a senior commander in Hamas's naval force. Shayetet 13 has defended you and will continue to defend you, at all times and under any circumstances."
Concurrently with the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, Shayetet 13 commando forces, alongside the unit's vessels, joined combat units in the southern maritime sector and launched maritime strikes against terrorist targets in the region. Throughout these engagements, the soldiers successfully neutralized dozens of terrorists and successfully struck multiple targets.
Even now, Shayetet 13 forces continue clearing Israeli territory of terrorists and executing additional strikes from the sea, along with the unit's covert operations.