Military correspondent Roy Sharon revealed on Kan News the story of a commander in the Combat Engineering Corps, who, thanks to his insistence on proper equipment, managed to save the lives of his soldiers during an encounter in the Gaza Strip.
In footage released by the Hamas terrorist organization two months after the outbreak of Operation Swords of Iron, a missile fired by terrorists toward an IDF engineering armored vehicle, a Namer, is intercepted by the "Iron Fist" system.
The story behind the footage involves the commander, who, contrary to the instructions he had received, refused to operate the vehicle until the system was repaired.
A soldier who was present during the incident recalled, "The battalion insisted that the vehicle was weapons-ready, even though the 'Iron Fist' system wasn't working. I continued to insist that it was inoperable, and I did everything I could to have it fixed."
The soldier added, "We were covering for the evacuation of a bulldozer and had been static for a long time. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion and extreme heat, and an engagement occurred. Later, we realized that the system had saved our lives."
Roy Sharon wrote, "This incident, where the officer decided to insist on the heavy responsibility entrusted to him, is not the only one of its kind - but it still reflects the general principle. The ground forces sometimes has to fight with 'what is available,' even if it's old equipment. Senior commanders send soldiers into battle knowing that the weapons they have may not always match the threats in the Gaza Strip."
According to Sharon, thanks to the commander’s persistence, at least five soldiers' lives were saved.