In a letter delivered to the defense minister and the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff on Thursday, parents of female soldiers and officers killed at the Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023, asked that their daughters’ bravery be officially recognized by the military.
News of the letter reached Hebrew media on Sunday, as a new cohort of surveillance soldiers was drafted. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited the recruits, to whom he praised the heroism of the troops at Nahal Oz and acknowledged the scale of the military’s failure that day.
The Nahal Oz base was the hardest-hit IDF facility in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, during which some 5,600 terrorists stormed across the border, massacred some 1,200 people, and took 251 hostages to Gaza.
The families of 16 slain troops wrote in their letter, widely quoted in Hebrew media: “It is appropriate that the IDF officially recognize the heroism of the female surveillance soldiers and senior officers of the Nahal Oz base in a manner that reflects their courage and exceptional performance.”
The families wrote the letter about a month after they were presented with the findings of the military’s official probe into the Hamas-led assault on the base, which investigators called one of the IDF’s biggest failures that day.
In all, 53 soldiers were killed at the base: 31 combat troops and 22 noncombatants — including the 16 female surveillance soldiers. Another 10 were abducted — seven female surveillance soldiers and three tank soldiers.
“The mind still refuses to digest the magnitude of the failure and abandonment. The heart will never heal… Our girls warned about the exercises, the preparations, the training, the ‘white Toyotas,’ and nothing was done,” the letter read. “Even when they warned that they were being observed, no one did anything about it. They were robbed of their lives.”
For months before Hamas’s onslaught, female surveillance soldiers reported signs of suspicious activity along the Gaza border, situated less than a mile from them. No action was taken by the more senior officers who received the reports, and the information was disregarded as unimportant by intelligence officials.
“In the investigation, we were also exposed to the heroism of the soldiers,” the parents wrote.
“The investigation explicitly stated that they saved lives,” they noted, emphasizing the finding that “two female surveillance soldiers managed to repel grenades that the terrorists threw into the shelter. With bare hands, barefoot and in pajamas, they acted heroically and saved lives.”
The parents concluded with a request ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day — which falls on April 30 this year — that the women’s bravery be formally recognized “by bestowing an honor that will reflect their courage, sacrifice, and absolute dedication to their duty.
The surveillance troops “must not be remembered merely as a symbol of the abandonment and the failure [of that day] — their legacy must be written in the history books of the IDF in the chapter on the heroes and heroines of Israel,” they said.
The letter was signed by the parents of all 16 slain surveillance soldiers, as well as the parents of Cpl. Noa Marciano, who was abducted into Gaza and then killed in captivity.
News of the letter came Sunday, as a new batch of surveillance soldiers were drafted into the military. Chief of Staff Zamir visited the induction center near Tel Aviv to welcome the recruits — his first visit to an induction center since being appointed to the role.
“We have great appreciation for the important security work of the female observers on all borders. The war proved more than ever that female observers are an essential part of maintaining the country’s security – you are the ‘eyes of the nation,’” he told the soldiers.
“The IDF failed on October 7, but the female observers who were on duty did not fail. They were the first to act with courage and bravery under fire,” Zamir said.
Zamir also made comments aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, who largely don’t serve, saying: “The IDF’s stance is clear — equality in bearing the burden. Those who give more will receive more! Everyone must bear the stretcher of national security.”
During last year’s military draft, the Combat Intelligence Collection units — where surveillance soldiers serve — saw a 210% turnout. The military often funnels more conscripts than it needs to certain units, expecting a percentage to refuse the positions.