In an interview with Israel National News-Arutz Sheva (INN), Deputy Commander of Auxiliary Unit 931, Lt. Yair Haberman, summarizes the activities of the forces he heads during Operation Breaking Dawn against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza.
Haberman said that they had been in the Gaza region for about two weeks. Over that time, there was a gradual increase in tensions, but not in ways that would be evident to the public.
"The warnings of imminent threat existed before the operation and, after a few days, we entered into a round of combat, most of which was from the air with ground forces also taking part," says Haberman. “The armored corps was positioned along points of contact under the command of Auxiliary Unit 931.”
While the country is returning to its everyday routine, Haberman told INN that for the forces in the region, the situation is one of “tense routine.”
“The story of Breaking Dawn has not yet come to an end as far as we are concerned. Our main task is to protect the residents so that there are no attempts at infiltration from Gaza or harm in any way. We are prepared to deal with any scenario at any time. The ground forces also have the capability of giving a military response from a distance.”
“We look at the communities, and we walk around them, so that the soldiers are connected with the residents, from both operational and educational points of view. Our goal is that the surrounding communities and the residents feel safe and, of course, are truly safe,” Haberman adds.
In a more personal moment, Haberman said that he regards the residents of the Gaza Strip as family, and, in fact, the families of some of the soldiers live in the region.