Captain Israel Ben Shitrit, Orthodox, married and father of 5 children, fought in the infantry in Gaza in recent months. Seriously injured, he escaped miraculously and dreams of only one thing: to put on the uniform again to defend the country. Israel has given us an harrowing testimony, from the first minutes of the October 7 to its last battle in Gaza. Overflowing with love for his land, Israel deeply believes that it is our duty to show the world the unprecedented unity demonstrated by the soldiers and people, to defeat the forces of evil that aim to destroy the Jewish State. Israel loudly proclaims his pride in serving in the ranks of the IDF.
The war between "good and evil"
"People must understand that this war is not only between Israel and Gaza. In Khan Yunes, there is not a house without weapons and without photos of children carrying Kalashnikovs. School books and notebooks are filled with the hatred of the Jew, it is a war of light against darkness, we fight against the devil,” declares Israel Ben Shitrit.
Israel lives with his family in Yeruham in the Negev, 20 minutes south of Beersheba. Before the war broke out, he worked at a startup and was a reservist in the Alexandroni unit on the northern border for about 16 days a year. “What happened in the south with the terrorists is what we are preparing for in the north: the scenarios of infiltrations, attacks, kidnappings, and the conquest of cities by Hezbollah, so I knew exactly what to do,” says Israel.
On the morning of October 7, Israel was startled awake at 6:30 a.m. by a rocket alert, “this never happens in Yeruham, I jumped out of bed immediately and realized something bad was happening. "It was Shabbat, but I immediately turned on my phone and the television, and I saw the terrorists' white jeeps entering Sderot. There was no doubt: we were at war," he said.
Ensuring the safety of residents
At this precise moment, Israel only thinks of one thing: to warn all those who did not get the information and save them from a possible massacre. Very quickly, he drove to the Yeruham synagogue and warned all the worshipers to evacuate and return home. “They thought I was crazy because it was Simcha Torah. I told them that Hamas was attacking the south of the country and could reach us from Rafah.” He then goes around the town lake and urges all the walkers to go home. “A friend and I even blocked the entrances to the city with checkpoints,” he remembers.
“I then called all the soldiers in my unit to mobilize them to the northern border with Lebanon because we feared a similar attack there,” Israel said.
With incredible determination and courage, Israel drove to the north unarmed, equipped only with his helmet and a bulletproof vest. With the soldiers of its brigade, Israel will stay 4 months at Kibbutz Malkia, located a few kilometers from Lebanon, to defend the border and counter the actions of Hezbollah. Then in February, he was mobilized in Gaza.
Alive by miracle
Torn between his family, his business and the army, Israel hesitated only two minutes before agreeing to join the fighting in Gaza. He embarks on a tough three-week mission alongside the Egoz unit. The objective was to kill the Nukhba terrorists, obtain information regarding the remains of hostages in Khan Yunes and neutralize the tunnels. "We witnessed terrible scenes and we killed 80 to 100 Hamas members; on our side, there were dozens of wounded but many lives were saved thanks to plasma transfusions directly on the ground, Israeli medicine is remarkable," underlines Israel.
After returning to rest with his family for a few days, Israel was called back for a final one-week mission in the Al-Amal district of Khan Yunes. "I arrived there around 2 a.m. and around 6 a.m. I was woken up by a huge noise, Hamas had just thrown two grenades with an RPG near our building. Two soldiers were killed and many injured, I said to myself 'this is your mission, they need you', we helped evacuate the wounded and then we secured the area", recalls Israel.
Very quickly, the situation deteriorates. Israel moves towards the military vehicles, then a few seconds later, it is hit by Hamas fire: "I thought it was the end, I felt the bullet above my head and with the force from the explosion I was thrown to the ground I felt that I was injured in the whole right part of my body but I was afraid that the terrorist would shoot at me again, so I slipped between two vehicles before to lose consciousness,” says Israel.
Shortly after, Israel opens his eyes and wakes up in real chaos, he hears screams and gunfire and manages to go with difficulty to the first house he finds, where the paratrooper unit was. "They thought that i was a terrorist and wanted to kill me, I had to tell them that I came from the Alexandroni brigade, they were so nervous, I shouted 'cease fire' and their commander understood and he took me away from them, he saved my life,” he said.
Israel, injured in the stomach and leg, was evacuated to Soroka hospital in Beersheba where he spent three and a half months in rehabilitation. When he left Gaza, Israel promised to promote the values of unity within the army that he had witnessed. According to him, it is the basis of the nation and the only way to defeat the enemy.
“I must perpetuate the spirit of unity that was established on October 8 in Israel but also in the Jewish communities around the world who brought their help and support to the country. It’s incredible all the voluntary actions, the dedication and solidarity that we have been able to observe, including in hospitals. This is how Israeli society must be, we must all stay united,” says Israel.
The current divisions around the law of military service for the Ultra-Orthodox make Israel angry. “It must be a right and not a law to fight in the army, this is what the Torah teaches us: to serve for people we do not know and protect them. I am Orthodox, I learn the Torah every day , even in Gaza, but I think that in times of war, the greatest mitzvah is to save the country,” he concluded.
Caroline Haïat
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