Day 610:  The Motivation Level of the IDF Troops in Gaza

Dr Micah Goodman observed that the army is still just as strong and united and focused now as it was at the beginning of the war. He also stated that the people of Israel are amazing. If you look at it from a parallel point of view.  The problem, according to Goodman, is when you start going vertical and going up, that’s when the depression and the lack of confidence sets in, especially with the released IDF reports on what happened on Kibbutzim, army bases, the Nova festival and other sites on the first day of the current war.

The lack of confidence and depression comes from the upper echelons. In other words, the decision makers then both in the government and in the military on that fateful day. However, regarding the spirit of the soldiers in the field, the first question any wounded soldier says really sums up what’s happening right now in the military, even now, many long months after the start of the war. Whenever my Palmar (combat medical evacuation unit) evacuates a wounded soldier from combat, their first question is never, “how am I?” or “What’s going to happen to me?” It’s always, “when can I go back to my brothers?”  The fighting spirit is still there.

Wounded IDF soldier being medivaced to safety. Photo (c)T. Book , 2025

Israh Azizi wrote, “There is a fire against us. And in the end, the fire could burn us or ignite us into an unstoppable force.” (The Cavalier) In my IDF unit we come from all levels of society, with various religious, and political beliefs. We are united by the desire to provide the best possible medical services to our brothers and sisters in uniform and sometimes, unfortunately, to provide the respect and honour for our fallen heroes on their final journey. Freedom is not free. As Bruce Mbanzabugabo (The Inspirer) observed:

Nobody was born a hero, and no one can inherit heroism; but you become a hero when your whole life has been a sacrifice for others. 

There are many heroes of this war, ranging from the scarred survivors of terrorist attacks to the families of the kidnapped victims, who are unceasing in their call for the release of all the innocents, to those men and women keeping the home front strong.  All the volunteers both here and from abroad.  All of those selflessly stepping up to the plate during these difficult times.

Me with soldiers of my Palmar combat medical extraction unit on the Gaza border. Photo (c) T. Book, 2025

“Hero” has become an overused word. A football player who scores a goal to win the game is called a hero. But a true hero is someone who puts his or her life at risk, to save others. The wounded soldiers my unit medivac to safety are perhaps the ultimate definition of heroism.  They are, to a person, the most unselfish people I have ever had the honour to interact with.

We have people in our unit who are religious and people who are secular, men and women with piercings and tattoos, people who would vote for Shas, people who would vote for Meretz, from the left to the right wing of the spectrum, religious and secular, veteran Israelis.

Morning prayers on the Gaza border. Photo (c) T. Book, 2025

Nobody asks questions, because no one cares what your religious and political views are when you’re there. Because we know we’re there for one purpose of one purpose alone. And that has not changed. That is to rid Israel of the scourge of the evil of Hamas and return our hostages. So that “Never Again” really means never again. We’re fighting for the future of the people of Israel. What we are fighting for is for those who were evacuated to be able to return to their border communities. In addition, we’re not going to grow up in this cycle that every few years there’s another round and another round.

We are still united in the military. We are still, even now, many months later, having wonderful civilians coming in and giving us food and other services. We have Anglos coming in from Modiin and Ranaana and making us amazing barbecues. So that spirit is still there. It was very strong on the October 7 and is still strong now. The unity is still there. There is a tremendous sense of family, of mishpachah. “All of Israel are responsible for each other.”

There are stories of the ordinary soldiers on the front often get lost in the rubble of the mainstream news cycle and the internal political debates in Israel.  It’s important to remember that what has kept Israel strong and so resilient are these stories, what they represent about this extraordinary society.  Together we will be victorious and return our brothers and sisters from the Gaza dungeons as we crush the Hamas terror entity.  Am Yisrael Chai!

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Tuvia is currently serving as an IDF combat medic on the Gaza front in Palmar Asaf.  He has been in this unit since October 7, and is currently on his seventh deployment.