Yoav, Yoni, Ron, and Eyal are four rookie fighters who finished their training for the paratroopers’ special patrol unit mere days before October 7, 2023, and had been sent to reinforce the post at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. On the morning when the war broke out, they awakened to the sound of gunfire and explosions from the Gazan border and shortly they were confronted by terrorists who arrived on motorcycles and in pickup trucks. After eliminating the terrorists, the snipers identified six more terrorists approaching them from behind. The fighters responded quickly and coolly, opening massive fire. “They tried to surprise us,” the snipers testified, “but we decided to surprise them.” Their next task was to extract the lookout crew and other female soldiers who were hiding in the shelter. It was only after hours of exchanging fierce gunfire that the IDF forces successfully repelled the terrorists from the post and evacuated the wounded.
