There is only one military company Tanker wives in the world. And it is in Israel within the Mixed Light Infantry Battalion Caracal. It usually operates along the Israel-Egypt border to deal with drug smuggling issues, but never with war-related issues. Until now. After a two-year pilot program, the company was permanently accepted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 2022. In a military system dominated by men at all levels – albeit with a large presence of women since the Israelis are a people’s army – the inclusion of women in combat units, particularly in tanks and aircraft, has been a topic of concern in the country for years , since then many are against it.
This is probably why Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, met a few days ago with female tank crews fighting on the Gaza border on October 7 and told them that their actions had silenced those who doubted the ability of women to participate in combat units.
On the morning of October 7th, the tank company gave up its task Military base in Nitzana and drove north as fast as he could with tanks and an armored Humvee. The tanks were allowed to drive on civilian roads and at much higher speeds than recommended. They discovered gaps along the border and dozens of Palestinian intruders. They left a tank in the main hole to protect the border and set off Kibbutz Holit and Sufa.
“On Saturday, October 7, we woke up around 7 a.m. to the sound of sirens, not physically here, but on the phone,” explains Karni, commander of an armored crew, to some journalists at his base in Nitzana, on the Egyptian border. “There were already rumors circulating that terrorists were on the border with Gaza. Something wasn’t clear, we opened the phones, we saw videos, photos, strange things. Then I received information through the official channel that was a little clearer: there are terrorists in the border communities.
“I gave the order to the regiment and told them: guys, we are preparing for a day of battle, I don’t know how this will affect us and I still don’t know anything, but we are preparing for battle.” ” Karni is 23 years old, he has been fighting in assault units since he was 18. The residents of Ashdod have known the everyday life of sirens, shelters and rockets for more than 15 years. Since Karni attended elementary school in this area. «“I called my commander and told him to get on the highway and head north towards Gaza.”. “I grabbed the armored vehicle and started driving behind her. We didn’t know exactly where we were going or what we would find. “I also called the deputy commander of my company and told her to have the entire regiment and all combatants ready because it appeared we were going to get into a fight at the border.”
As seen in the ruins of the kibbutzim and in the Videos recorded by Hamas attackersThey had time – not only to end the lives of more than a thousand people – but also to paint graffiti on the destroyed houses, cook food and eat it after the murders and torture. “I have had discussions with the grassroots,” says Karni. “Ultimately, the movement of tanks onto a northbound road must be coordinated, particularly when crossing territorial boundaries. “I had to stay in touch with them because I am also responsible for this area. I can’t leave everything behind and take the fighters and the instruments with me.”
Karni says that when they reached the border area, they called him to inform him that their commander was on the way fighting with terrorists. «When they told me this, I grabbed the tank and the armored vehicle and we headed towards him. When we reached the point, we saw about forty terrorists coming towards us and heard bullets hitting the vehicles and the tank. “They shot at us!”
“When I arrived, I gave the order for the tank to advance further while we fired the cannon at the terrorists. “The goal was to make sure we wiped everyone out.” They spent about two hours in this situation until they decided to switch to the second tank and make their way to the Israel-Gaza separation fence. “When I arrived, I saw a hole wider than my tank,” he remembers. He says that at that moment he realized that they were actually just at the beginning of a tough battle.
Or, commander of another tank, had already stationed his soldiers at various strategic positions in the area to protect some communities when he received the order to go to Kibbutz Sufa at 7:30 a.m., an hour after the start. The attacks. “Or be careful, there are a lot of terrorists everywhere, they attacked my base, we need you as soon as possible.”» he said to his commander. “When we got there with three vehicles, we saw rockets, grenades, RPGs, everything everywhere.”
“After fighting a hundred terrorists for twelve hours, I knew my mission was to stop them right there. They could not overcome me and penetrate the other kibbutzim. “With the projectiles, machine guns and other weapons that we had in my vehicles, we took up positions in the area that were deadly,” he says. This is how they stopped the Hamas terrorists. “None of the terrorists were able to enter the kibbutzim in the southern Gaza Strip, Bnei Netzarim, Navé, Shlomit, Yevul, Avshalom. “We stopped them while they were on their way.”. That day, these fighters were in the tanks and Humvees for seventeen hours.