Walking into the Nahal Oz situation room where IDF lookouts were huddled in when terrorists stormed in on October 7, reveals a surreal picture. Blackened walls, soot, dust, destruction. On Tuesday, parents of the lookouts who were slain on that Saturday arrived to see for themselves.
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"It's very hard to see for all of us," said Eyal Eshel, father of late Sergeant Roni Eshel, whose body was identified only a month later. "The girls were locked in here from 6:30 a.m. for over six hours, and no one came to their aid. It's incomprehensible."
The emotional visit, arranged by the IDF, saw distraught parents coming to grips with the horrors their daughters suffered. "Parents were crying," says Eshel. "We saw the stations where the girls sat. What was once a well-stocked and highly arranged situation room is all burned to a crisp. For hours their cries went unanswered. We lit candles in their memory."
Lior Glass, father of the slain lookout Yam Glass, said: "My stomach was churning. This is where my daughter was burned to death. We now see what we've only heard about up until now. It's moving and very sad."
Both Eshel and Glass, while mourning their daughters, also noticed what appears to be a string of overlooked perils and mistakes.
"We realized the communications room was locked," Eshel said. "Had it been open, our girls could have taken refuge there and possibly survived this attack. There was no proper shelter and no means to prevent a fire. Not even a fire extinguisher. They had no chance. They were deserted."
"I won't let this go," he said. "I'll keep digging, and those that should answer for what happened will. This is crying out for justice to be delivered. I'm learning new things about this all the time."