Golani Brigade Fighters Revisit Nir Am Battlefield of Oct. 7

Fighters from the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion have returned to the fields of Nir Am, the site where they engaged in a fierce battle against hundreds of terrorists on the morning of Simchat Torah. The soldiers and commanders recounted the harrowing events of the brutal fight, including severe injuries and the heroic act of fallen soldier Matan Aberjil, who sacrificed himself by jumping on a grenade to save his comrades.

What began as a routine morning at 5:30 AM quickly escalated into an existential battle with unprecedented rocket barrages and thousands of terrorists breaching the border fence. The soldiers realized they were facing a fight for survival, outnumbered and fighting until their last bullet. "You wake up, patrol the fence like every morning. Birdsong, the birds start to wake up, the area starts to wake up, nothing unusual," recalled Major Y, the former company commander.

"Not a minute goes by, as you walk to the 'Namer' [armored personnel carrier], suddenly crazy booms, lots of shrapnel in the air, lots of white, everything white, just all the rockets in the air. That's how we just started," described Niv Barans, a reserve lieutenant and squad commander, detailing the initial moments of the assault.

The battle intensified into close-quarters combat with armed terrorists arriving in vans and motorcycles. "Here we met a terrorist for the first time, face to face. At that moment you understand it's him or you. You don't have too many options anymore," said Ziv Almikis, the company sergeant major, recounting a personal encounter.

A critical turning point occurred when Barans was severely wounded. Despite his injuries, he continued to direct fire while observing his company advance. The peak of heroism came when a grenade was thrown into an APC. Soldier Matan Aberjil, without hesitation, covered the grenade with his body, saving the lives of those inside. "After you see a 19-year-old kid, who in a split second jumps on a grenade and saves his friends, you get life's proportions and you say what, what will stop me now?" Barans reflected.

Nearly three years later, the fighters returned to the fields, honoring the fallen and the legacy of the Golani Brigade. Major Y concluded, "You start to feel all these generations of Golani. You feel they are entering your body and telling you, man, I know it's hard for you, we understand, you are in a historic moment now, we are here to give you strength. And this is the story, the people of Israel came here to win, to fight, and this is proof that nothing can defeat us and no one can defeat us."