As Hamas trained, IDF spotters warned of what they were seeing
When IDF troops rescued Private Ori Megidish from Hamas captivity in an overnight operation in Gaza last week, it was cause for a rare moment celebration in a grim war.
But it also drew attention to Israel’s field intelligence battalions — units staffed mainly by women soldiers who have the demanding job of training their watchful eyes on nearly every point along the country’s borders, through security cameras and at watchtowers.
Because they are stationed literally on the front lines facing Israel’s enemies, these observers’ jobs come with considerable risk. And in the horrific Hamas attack on Simchas Torah, the field observers at the Gaza perimeter fence were among the first to be murdered or taken captive.
The scale and sheer audacity of the attack took the country by surprise. But three former IDF field observers, identified here as N., S., and R., tell Mishpacha that although the attack was shocking, neither they nor their friends were surprised in the least. They say that they had been ringing the alarm bells constantly until their service ended a few months ago — but somewhere along the chain of command, their reports were not taken seriously.
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