Captain Tal Aricha
Captain Tal ArichaYosef Mizrahi / Arutz 7

Captain Tal Aricha, company commander of Brigade 401, spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News from the Jabaliya refugee camp about his injury in an encounter last week with terrorists, and his request to return to combat fighting immediately after being treated at the hospital.

"The day before the encounter, we conducted a very successful ambush. We eliminated eighteen terrorists who attempted to escape from the area of the Kamal Adwan hospital with light weapons, which does not happen often in Gaza. The next day, we tried to replicate the success and set out again on a similar operation. I was hit by an anti-tank missile. I felt the very powerful impact, and the entire crew inside the armored vehicle felt the shock. I stuck my head outside the vehicle to check what was going on and I was thrown inside. In those moments, you don't have much time to understand what is happening and you act like a robot," Aricha recalls.

Aricha praises the driver of the armored vehicle, "He is the real hero of the incident. The armored vehicle didn't move and the driver realized that if he switched to emergency gear, it would work. His reaction saved us, because over the next five minutes, all 1,200 liters of diesel fuel drained from the vehicle, while it burned and emitted huge amounts of smoke. We managed to reach a safe area, and in the meantime, the battalion circled the terrorists and managed to destroy them.

IDF soldiers in the Jabaliya refugee camp
IDF soldiers in the Jabaliya refugee campPhoto: Yosef Mizrahi/Arutz Sheva

Aricha was taken to Soroka Medical Center for treatment and insisted on returning to Gaza. "I was in the hospital and they wanted me to stay another day. When I was discharged, they told me I had to rest at home for a week. I told them I had combat fighters in Gaza and I was very angry about this. In retrospect, after two days of thinking about it, I'm very happy with my decision. It shows that while we are here fighting, risking our lives, the people behind us are continuing with their daily routines. That's the victory."

He explains himself, "The victory is that those behind us feel secure. That there are almost no missiles from Gaza and no fear of raids or infiltration by terrorists. I hope that the heroes living in the surrounding areas feel this and are encouraging everyone to return home. Of course, we have not yet completed the work, but the Gaza Envelope is a much safer place."

IDF forces in Jabaliya
IDF forces in JabaliyaPhoto: Yosef Mizrahi/Arutz Sheva

Aricha describes the change in fighting since October 7. "I think the method of fighting has changed. We are no longer clearing sites of buildings that were used for terrorist activity and making sure that there are no terrorists there. We are destroying sites so that they have nowhere to return to. We are destroying the infrastructure. Gaza looks like Lego City. We returned to Jabaliya for the fourth time now, so this would be the last time. We are not leaving anything standing here. Once the enemy has nothing to rely on, it cannot return. That is what is different."

Destruction in the Jabaliya refugee camp Photo: Yosef Mizrahi/Arutz Sheva
Destruction in the Jabaliya refugee camp Photo: Yosef Mizrahi/Arutz Sheva