“Initially, I didn’t leave the tank for five consecutive days. My greatest fear was that something would happen to the soldiers. Just the thought that I wouldn’t be able to help a wounded soldier was driving me crazy. When morale was low, I remembered that I had to stay strong for them no matter what.”
“On my last night in Gaza, we suddenly, we heard gunshots and shouting on the radio,” she recounts. “We rushed to the tank and drove a few meters until I saw a wounded soldier on a stretcher. He had been hit by a sniper and his legs were badly wounded. I quickly made a tourniquet and treated his wounds. Within minutes he was taken to hospital by helicopter. I cared for him so professionally and I can never forget it.”
Maor, Yonat and Tamar represent the important roles that women play in Israel’s military – even in the most dangerous situations. These women and others like them were an indispensable part of Operation Protective Edge and the IDF’s effort to defend Israel.