Page 42 - HaMizrachi Yom HaAtzmaut AUS 2021

SEVEN STORIES OF

IDF BRAVERY

Since the War of Independence in 1948, Israel has been shaped by the courage and heroism of
our soldiers, who elect to place their lives on the line for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
HaMizrachi has chosen just seven stories of bravery, courage and valor from Israel’s early days
until today. Stories of Jewish Israeli pride and guts, of average soldiers who just did the right thing.

entering or leaving Eilat. An operation watershed line. We’ll evacuate you from
was being planned to attack and con- there.”
quer Sharm-el-Sheikh and from there A group of Egyptian soldiers were rap-
to reopen the Straits to Israeli passage. idly approaching.
Midnight Mission in The Israelis wanted to send a six-man
Enemy Territory team deep into enemy lines to check The Israelis had to leave the area
conditions on the ground. Would the immediately.
June, 1955.
topography of a 70km roadless stretch They arrived at the pick-up point,
Six IDF soldiers agreed to take part in from Eilat to Sharm-el-Sheikh allow an where they quickly removed stones and
a top secret mission. army vehicle to pass? plants so the Israeli plane could land.
The six were taken to an army base in The team was to arrive in Sinai by boat, Half an hour after the team was airlifted
Beer Sheva, where they were shown a but if they had not arrived by 1:00 am, out of there, the Egyptians arrived on
map of Sinai and the Straits of Tiran. the order was to abort the mission and the scene. Miraculously, the six were
Without being told, the soldiers knew return. Avoiding a close call with an saved with their mission accomplished.
what had to be done. Egyptian ship, they arrived at 12:30 Because of the bravery of these six men

In 1955, the Egyptians had blocked the am. They continued by foot, scouting and the information they gathered, the
Straits of Tiran, preventing ships from the desert terrain at night and hiding Israelis were able to plan the attack on
by day. The information they collected Sharm-el-Sheik and successfully lead
would be critically important to the IDF,
but if the Egyptians caught them, their the Sinai Campaign and Operation
Kadesh, freeing the Straits of Tiran to
lives would be at stake. They had one Israeli passage.
chance a night to communicate, when
an Israeli plane would fly overhead, low
enough to make radio contact.

A few days into their mission, a plane
flew overhead with water supplies. As
the containers parachuted down, the
thirsty team heard them smash on the Rescue from the Flames
ground, one by one. Thankfully, the last
container landed safely and the parched June 7th, 1967.
soldiers drank their fill. “Start the truck, there’s a war on!”

On the final night of the operation, they That’s how Mordechai Attia, on reserve
had important instructions: “Go to the duty, was woken from a nap.

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