Bill Hill

THE WOMEN ON THE TANKS WHO SAVED SO MANY ON OCTOBER 7TH On the morning of Saturday, October 7th, the tanks of the Caracal Battalion were in their sector at Nitzana, about 50 kilometers south of the Gaza Strip. When the first reports came in that terrorists were infiltrating from the Gaza Strip, the company commander, Captain Karni, ordered her fighters to move quickly north. Near the Sufa outpost, the female tank crews encountered dozens of terrorists who had entered through a large opening in the border fence. Captain Karni made a critical decision: leave one tank behind to secure the breach and prevent more terrorists from coming through. Two other tanks continued toward Holit, while another headed toward nearby Kibbutz Sufa. Near Sufa, the fighters saw a brutally destroyed vehicle, wounded IDF soldiers scattered around it, and a massive fire burning in the background. For the first time, they realized: they were on a battlefield. What followed was approximately 17 consecutive hours of combat. The IDF reported that the trees north of their position were filled with terrorists. The women climbed onto the machine guns and opened fire, targeting terrorists hiding among the trees. They also fired tank shells at terrorists farther away. “I see the injuries; I see them falling,” Lieutenant Michal reported as her tank engaged the enemy. Hila Tal and Hagar, meanwhile, were operating a weapons system they had not been trained to use. They improvised. They approached the system, climbed onto the heavy machine gun mounted on it, and opened fire on the terrorists. Then dozens more terrorists, armed with RPGs and anti-tank missiles, charged toward the tanks. The women fired back. On the way to Holit, the tanks ran over terrorists and continued toward the kibbutz gate. The gate was only partially open, blocking the entrance. The first tank raced toward it, pushed the heavy gate aside, and charged into the kibbutz. Inside Holit, the female tank crews once again entered the fight, firing machine guns and tank shells at the terrorists. They kept fighting until the attack on the kibbutz was repelled. The battle involving Captain Karni’s company lasted approximately 17 hours. Accounts from the battle credit the Israeli forces involved with killing approximately 50 terrorists, while sources differ over how many were killed specifically by the female tank crews. These young women were not expecting to spend October 7th fighting one of the most brutal battles Israel had faced in decades, but they rose to the occasion. In the photo: Caracal Battalion tank crews with their tank. Screenshot: News 12.