When Hamas terrorists invaded on the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, the soldiers of the 77th Battalion, under the commander of the 7th Brigade, were ordered to bring their tanks to positions opposite the border fence in order to halt the invading terrorists.
On their way to the positions, one of the tanks was hit by an RPG and the tank’s engine stopped. The crew of the disabled tank continued to fight, shelling the fence area in order to eliminate as many terrorists as possible and prevent further invasion of Israel.
Another crew attacked two tractors that were pushing the border fence down. The soldiers shelled the tractors and machine-gunned the terrorists who were heading back into Gaza. They killed dozens and prevented further entry into Israel through that border site.
One of the battalion’s tanks encountered terrorists inside Israel before reaching its position. The terrorists fired many anti-tank missiles, killing all its crew members except the driver. He continued forward, crushing many terrorists. The tank driver stopped in a protected area to ascertain the condition of his fellow crew members, but he found himself facing an IDF personnel carrier from which terrorists emerged. They opened fire at him, and the driver, in quick reaction, entered the tank and ran them over as well. At last, the tank driver reached the site of the party at Reim. He positioned the tank between the police who were fighting there and himself, as a barrier, and fired his rifle at the terrorists who had attacked the partiers.
