You Don’t Have to Be Jewish to Be a Zionist: October 7’s Bedouin Heroes

May 1, 2024

by: Ilana Curiel ~ Ynet

Wednesday, 1 May 2024 | On October 7, Jewish and Israeli Arab soldiers fought side by side against Hamas terrorists. In an interview with Ynet, Major A, a Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion officer and Major M, also from the unit based in the southern sector, described how they quickly deployed to the field upon hearing about Hamas’s surprise attack. Along with other soldiers and officers, they engaged the enemy, eliminated dozens of terrorists and assisted in liberating military outposts.

“I was at home that Saturday,” Major A recounted. “I received the first call about what was happening in the Gaza sector, and at the same time, I was getting messages from the intelligence officer who also called me directly. I got ready, donned my uniform and started heading south.

“Most of the unit’s officers and commanders, including myself, the deputy battalion commander and a cadet, arrived at the base in the south around 10:30 AM. We equipped ourselves and by 11:10 AM, we were in the sector, beginning to sweep at junctions and along ambulance evacuation and exit routes.”

“We began moving north and encountered a terrorist cell ambushing us near Kibbutz Magen. There were two terrorists hiding in the bushes. After we eliminated them, we moved forward. We were a small force of five officers and several soldiers from the south. It took about two hours to clear the junctions on foot. At Gvulot Junction, more fighters arrived and then we received an alert about further clashes at the Sufa outpost, which had not yet been cleared.

“We realized that two terrorists had barricaded themselves in a room and were engaging our forces inside. One of the officers noticed out of the corner of his eye that there were two terrorist vehicles parked on the side. After a sweep, we encountered an ambush. We realized that no one had reached those vehicles yet and we decided to approach. There were quite a few injured soldiers who needed to be evacuated.

“A small force, led by the deputy battalion commander, advanced to the location. We found a large amount of explosive material, grenades, AK-47 rifles, and IEDs Improvised Explosive Device]. As we reached the edge of the vehicles, two terrorists hiding in nearby orchards opened massive fire on us. One of the soldiers was shot in the neck and we returned fire. We eliminated the two terrorists who had ambushed the Israel Defense Forces [IDF].”

The soldiers evacuated the wounded soldier to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva and continued to sweep the Sufa outpost. “We returned and began to sweep and search for missing persons and terrorist cells hiding in the area. In the first 24 hours, we encountered terrorists hiding in the field eight times, each time two to three terrorists.”

During that day, the battalion successfully eliminated some 20 terrorists within Israeli territories while simultaneously aiding rescue and evacuation forces to extract the wounded from outposts and settlements.

“My connection to the communities in the surrounding area is indescribable,” shared Major A. “I’ve been in the army for ten years and in this sector of Kerem Shalom for the same duration. I personally know the community leaders, including those who fell. The Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion is truly their family in every sense of the word.

“I have mixed feelings now. There is sadness for those we lost, but we are steadfastly focused on victory. This defines the army and my battalion in particular. We are still engaged in the southern front and will continue our operations relentlessly until we prevail. To quote US President Joe Biden, ‘You don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist.’ And that characterizes us.”

Each officer and soldier in the battalion was called to the south and many arrived even before the call was made. Major M told Ynet about the moment he heard about the surprise attack.

“I was jogging through the fields. I saw on the news that an unusual event had started in the Gaza sector. I quickly realized it was a serious event. I got in my car and drove fast to the area. I learned from the news that the roads were swarmed with terrorists,” he said.

“I joined the battalion in Tze’elim, armed myself and rushed to the Sufa outpost. We reached the outskirts of Sufa, teamed up with an officer and a signaler and advanced to the outpost. We encountered a terrorist cell that ambushed us. They managed to catch us off guard. We exchanged heavy fire but succeeded in eliminating them.”

Afterward, the fighters moved north to Kerem Shalom and the orchards, recapturing another position alongside a Golani unit. “Day and night, we scoured the orchard area and almost every night, we encountered at least one or two terrorists. There were many terrorists,” recounted Major M.

“I won’t lie, like all of Israel and the army, we were taken by surprise on the first day. But by the afternoon, we began to take control. Morale is very high. Both in the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion and in all the infantry battalions. We have a strong army that knows how to strike and Hamas is now experiencing our strength.

“In the first and second encounters, it was evident that the terrorists’ professionalism wasn’t exceptional. Where the IDF engaged them, we were victorious and lethal – and it ended quickly. Even in places where they surprised us, we managed to take control and take over.

“I promise to all the people that the residents of the Gaza border region will return and this region will flourish again. We’ll reopen the kindergartens, schools and everything that was here and rebuild it all much better. That’s my promise and that of my commanders in the army.”

Posted on May 1, 2024

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on April 29, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Israel Defense Forces/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia