When Hamas infiltrated southern Israel and began its massacre, Captain Bar and his tank crew of four found themselves facing hundreds of terrorists trying to climb the fighting vehicle, damaging the communication system, and piercing the oil tanks.
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Without hesitation, the fighters drove through the targeted towns – Nirim, Ein Hashlosha, and Kissufim – and single-handedly eliminated over 70 terrorists.
Video: Terrorists enter border towns near Gaza / Credit: Social media
Bar was determined to save the residents of the settlements, even when he saw fellow soldiers injured and killed.
"I saw wounded soldiers on the way, but the mission was clear to us: We are here to protect the citizens of the Gaza periphery because it is their sovereign right to live near the border," Bar said. "Even though it was incredibly painful, I understood I needed to save hundreds of residents, not a few soldiers. It breaks the heart to see wounded and killed fighters on the ground, but you have to turn off your emotions because breaking down is not a solution. In war, you act calmly."
For the previous three months, Bar and his team had been stationed on the Gaza border.
🔴 LIVE ON AIR: Our @PiaSteckelbach lies down on the floor while rocket alert sirens sound in Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/UoV90cxc29
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) October 16, 2023
He recalled the sudden rocket barrage that began on the morning of Oct. 7 and said, "We immediately jumped into the tanks. Our commander informed us that terrorists had infiltrated near Nirim. We drove in that direction, and less than a minute later, near Ein Hashlosha, we came across a group of four terrorists with cars and motorcycles. They shot at us, but we managed to eliminate them."
Q: What did it feel like facing them alone?
"Lonely. I understood how the Yom Kippur fighters must have felt. One tank facing hundreds of terrorists. But you have a goal – to prevent terrorists from infiltrating."
Q: It is a miracle that you and your team survived. How did you operate?
"I continued driving with a faulty engine, and we took down squad after squad. We continued like this until Re'im when the engine gave out. I got out under fire and filled up the oil tank from the spare tanks, but it didn't help. The engine was done. I walked half a kilometer (0.3 miles) to a nearby base, under fire, with the team to the Gama junction and left the tank crew with the infantry force. The gunner and I walked there because I knew there was a tank crew hit there.
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"In front of the outpost, dozens of terrorists surrounded us, and we ran inside. There I found out that a Golani officer went out to fight with the tank. I organized the outpost, and we gave a fire strike. It was the 25 of us against the 60 terrorists, and we managed to push them back.
"Despite the difficulty, the morale of the team is sky-high. The beginning was bad, but it will end in Israel's favor. The fighters are determined, alert, and ready, thanks in no small part to the love and support of the people of Israel."
