Samuel Menachem shared his wartime experience on the "Israel POW" association website, which connects soldiers who experienced captivity. He served as a tank crew member in the 79th Battalion during the Yom Kippur War and recounted how their camp came under attack from Egyptian aircraft bombardments and his force – three tanks – advanced toward the canal. At dawn, they walked into an Egyptian infantry ambush.

Shmuel recounted passing the ambush at high speed, but another tank took a hit. He heard Lieutenant Gabi's voice on the radio reporting, "I've been hit, the Egyptians are surrounding me... they're climbing onto the tank," followed by silence. When they returned to assist, his tank was struck in the track and became immobilized. The commander ordered abandonment under fire.

He described the moments of intense Egyptian fire as they fled from the tank, recalling "The Egyptians unleashed hellish fire at us. I spotted a damaged tank and an armored personnel carrier. I ran to the second tank, took a defensive position, and returned fire with my damaged Uzi."

Shmuel described the horror when the Egyptians moved between the soldiers and executed the wounded soldiers, saying, "They went from soldier to soldier and shot him to death. I waited in agony for my turn to die. I was furious that this was happening at the war's beginning, and I hadn't managed to fight enough. The Egyptians fired. Fortunately, the bullets struck beside me." He was eventually captured and fell into captivity.

Sharon Menachem, Shoham's cousin, explained, "Shoham insisted on being in this battalion because of his father's story. He was truly his parents' pride, with a desire to contribute to the state. He always said everything was good, everything was fine. He was helping and assisting everyone. His father supported him out of a belief in serving the country.

"I have a son his age. They are three friends – one in paratroopers and another with armor units. It was important for Shoham to contribute, and he received full support from his parents. He was supposed to be discharged in four months. Since October 7, he has been serving constantly in Gaza. He felt he was contributing. He told me, 'Sharon, we are winning. We are doing our job.' Everyone worries, but we grew up believing in serving the greater good, not just ourselves."

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As Israel marks the 29th anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, the IDF Archives has released a previously undisclosed recording from a 1974 General Staff forum. In it, Rabin, then serving his first term as prime minister, addresses the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War and the prospects for regional peace.

"In the Arab-Israeli conflict, I don't see a possibility of reaching a solution through military means... if there's any chance at all... it's only through diplomatic negotiations," Rabin can be heard saying in the recording. However, he emphasized that diplomacy must be backed by military strength: "Without military power, there won't be any diplomatic negotiations at all."

In the recording, Rabin also addressed potential developments in the conflict: "A Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria would be an immediate trigger for the next war, even if other parties don't desire it. I also question whether pursuing something short of full peace – whatever we might call it – at a higher territorial cost is truly the best solution, especially when we look at the Arab reality with clear eyes. But I don't need to dwell on this question because we face a simple fact: no one is willing to talk to us about peace."

50 years later, Rabin's words resonate with Israel's current reality. Many draw parallels between the surprise attack that launched the Yom Kippur War on October 6, 1973, and Hamas' devastating assault on Oct. 7, 2023. The latter has escalated into a prolonged multi-front conflict along Israel's southern and northern borders, with additional threats from militias in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran, and a severe hostage crisis with 101 being still held in Gaza.

The ongoing campaign has necessitated extensive mobilization of reserve forces, echoing the situation Rabin described after the Yom Kippur War: "Many reservists are answering the call to serve. I believe it's the reservists' morale, discipline, and sense of purpose that, more than anything else, instills public confidence in the military. Let's be frank – this confidence was shaken," he acknowledged in the recording.

Rabin served two terms as Israel's prime minister, first in 1974 and again in 1992. Known for his progressive stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he pursued peace initiatives during his second term, most notably the Oslo Accords. This peace process sparked intense opposition from right-wing groups in Israel, culminating in his assassination by Yigal Amir on November 4, 1995.

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Israel on Sunday declassified a sizable cache of documents and images from the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a conflict whose 50th anniversary falls later this year. Some of the revelations offer insight into intelligence failings that made the conflict one of the most painful episodes in the state's history.

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The comprehensive new site, created by the Defense Ministry, features some 15,000 photos, 6,000 documents, 215 films, 170 maps and 40 tape recordings.

The attack on the Israeli-held Golan Heights and Sinai peninsula by the Syrian and Egyptian militaries on October 6, 1973, famously came as a nasty surprise to Israel's top intelligence and military brass. The entire state apparatus was seized with a nearly fatal complacency that ended the glittering political careers of Prime Minister Golda Meir and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. Israel neutralized the two invading forces after nearly three weeks, at great cost.

The ministry said in a statement that the site "was established to tell the story of a generation, to immortalize the bravery of the fighters, and offer an official platform for passing down the war's legacy to future generations."

One of the documents featured on the website is an infamous intelligence file marked with the serial number 433. Circulated an hour and a half before the war's outbreak, it said that intelligence had "recognized signals" that Egypt and Syria were planning "to a initiate war in the near future."

Fatally, the authors refused to credit the possibility that a decision to launch the war had already been made, writing that Egypt and Syria were "aware that there is no chance of succeeding in a war." The newly opened archives show that hours before this misleading brief was fired off military intelligence received concrete warnings that the invasion was impending.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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"Last summer was full of security incidents, both above and below the surface, in both nearby and far-off arenas. In the Gaza Strip, rocket fire was avoided and neutralized, and infiltration attempts were thwarted time and again. In the area of Judea and Samaria, the intelligence and operational effort that prevented many, if not all, terrorist attacks continue, and in the north, action has been taken to curb the efforts of Iran and Hezbollah. The challenges are not over," he told the bereaved families in attendance.

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Kochavi promised that "we will not allow harm [to be inflicted on] the State of Israel, and should that happen, we will respond forcefully. The IDF is a strong, offensive, and responsible army, which operates in many arenas, in all dimensions, and in effect fulfills its mission as Israel's defense forces."

"We know we must be prepared … for the challenges of the present and the future, in [terms of] the scope of the forces, the type of units, and the methods of warfare."

He said, "The State of Israel has faced security challenges in the past and we continue to face them today. We could meet them in the past, and we can meet them today. We have our eyes open, we make daily assessments, and we make professional and responsible decisions that lead to attacks and the prevention of threats, all while maintaining balance."

He concluded that as a result, "Israel's citizens can continue with their daily routines, in the thriving and special country established here."

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