Operational routines can be especially deceptive. Sometimes, everything feels calm and quiet—until suddenly, without warning, a life-and-death event unfolds.
“I Saw Darkness in My Eyes”
Oren Polinski and Ishay Halmish were called up for reserve duty on October 7. During the fighting in Gaza, their unit was tasked with clearing “Sergeant’s Neighborhood,” a cluster of multi-story buildings.
“We’d enter a building, search the first and second floors, and realize the terrorists were almost never there,” Oren explains. “Slowly, it became routine.”
On one occasion, the unit was assigned to enter a specific location in the area. After successfully completing the mission, they were celebrating their accomplishment when a sudden, massive explosion erupted. A missile struck the building.
“I Felt Like the Missile Hit Me,” Ishay recalls. “I saw darkness in my eyes and was certain it was the end.”
Oren rushed upstairs and found Ishay on the floor, alive, breathing, but struggling to walk.
“We could see the entry hole and the spot where the missile hit, just two meters from me,” Ishay describes. At the hospital, the medical staff was stunned. “If this is what happened, how can you even be here like this?” they asked.
The missile had struck a house where many soldiers were present, and yet no one was seriously injured. “We couldn’t understand how it was possible that we all made it out like this,” Oren marvels. “I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to appreciate being alive.”
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