After waking up from the sounds of explosions in the early morning of October 7. a team of female tank crew members mobilized along with the rest of the brigade.”
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“They first entered one of the bases stationed on the border which has been completely destroyed. The terrorists killed everyone there and no one had any idea what was going on,” one fighter said.
The Peled team, named after Yair Peled who served as the IDF Paratrooper Brigade’s commander in 1959, is a unique counter-terrorism unit made up of only eight to nine members. When the fighting began, they were attached to an all-female tank crew.
“The fighting started with a skirmish on Route 232 heading into Israeli communities near the Gaza border, where we fought dozens of terrorists,” Cap. K., an armored corps company commander said. “We then searched the area to make sure no other threats were present. Then we reached the border, where we realized what we’ve experienced was only the beginning.”
"The female tank crew members were stationed close to our team, and they were amazing. Incredible." a fighter in the special anti-terror unit said. "They helped us tremendously. They deserve to be decorated. They operated like a well-oiled machine, at a professional level that's expected from any tank crew. We engaged in combat for about 40 minutes against 20 terrorists in the area when they arrived, cleared them out, and eliminated them." During the fighting, Cap. Yiftah Gorni from Be'er Milka was killed.
After locating four terrorists in Yated, a border community, and quickly overpowering them, they moved toward Holit, a neighboring Kibbused, based on information about events there. "We joined forces with the battalion commander,” Cap. K. said. "Together with him, we headed toward Hulata with the tank. When we reached the gate of the Kibbuz, it was closed. The area appeared relatively calm, and we didn't hear any gunfire. Suddenly, a soldier from the kibbutz came toward us and signaled for us to enter. We realized that additional forces hadn't yet arrived so we quickly drove through the gate and followed the soldier's instructions."
"The female tank crew provided us with cover; they broke through the fence and engaged with the terrorists that were there by the dozens. They also covered us with smoke to help us evacuate the wounded. We swept through the Kibbutz and the sights were horrifying,” a fighter said.
“We cleared out all the terrorists and brought them out. I lost track of time. I only know that the women fought like lionesses. I could hear them on the radio, including their commander, Or Ben Yehuda, operating at the highest level."
Another team member said, "The tank crew and the others who fought with us are heroes." The terrorists who infiltrated Holit were highly skilled. "It was clear that these weren't run-of-the-mill terrorists, but soldiers who were equipped with maps and communication devices, using heavy fire and explosives, with automatic weapons, and hand grenades."
"While conducting the searches, we secured the area and fired rounds to prevent the terrorists from getting close while ensuring the residents’ safety," Cap. K. said. In the meantime, the team evacuated the wounded and civilians still in the area.
"Then, the battalion commander got on the radio, informed us that terrorists were infiltrating the other side of the kibbutz, and ordered us there. We realized the terrorists had escaped, and drove westward to locate them. The terrorists fired at us, and we identified two of them, running them over and eliminating them."