Soldier's sister: Nothing will bring him back
Sister of First Lt. Hanan Barak, killed in Kerem Shalom attack, reveals proficiency in tank regulations, indicates that soldiers acted according to procedure. But she wants only one thing, that her brother return
Atara Shrem-Barak, sister of First Lt. Hanan Barak, who was killed in the attack on the Kerem Shalom outpost two weeks ago, said Monday that "the report (on the attack) doesn't surprise us. There's nothing there that we didn't already know."
In the end, she says, it doesn't really matter. "Nothing will bring my brother back."
Israel Defense Forces representatives arrived at the Barak family's home to reveal findings of the Eiland Report, which investigated events surrounding the infiltration of terrorists to the outpost and the subsequent military response.
The investigative team determined that the preventative activities that took place prior to the event were reasonable and that disciplinary steps should not be taken against the chain of command. The IDF chief of staff accepted the report's findings but added that it was his intention to comment personally to specific commanders.
"The team showed us aerial photos of the area and explained what had happened," Hanan's sister said.
She said she believes the soldiers indeed "acted according to procedures."
She also demonstrated proficiency in armored corps training and operation procedures, she herself having been a tank instructor.
"The soldiers acted in accordance with regulations: the minute that the Patronix system is dismantled, according to procedures, you have to abandon the tank. This is what they tried to do; otherwise, they would have choked to death," she said.
'Like a science fiction film'
Even so, she has one remaining question: "The tank requested authorization to fire and was denied. Because the terrorists were wearing IDF uniforms, there was a chance that it would have created friendly fire or that Gilad would have been shot."
According to the sister, "the way the report presents the situation, the outcome was unavoidable. But I don't believe that there is an officer or commander who would knowingly cause a shortcoming that could lead to his soldiers' deaths."
Shrem-Barak is sure that her brother and the other soldiers executed their orders as required: "They did their job in the best way possible. The entire staff stayed that weekend because of a heightened alert, they acting according to procedure. I know that one of the commanders spoke to Hanan on the radio system at five in the morning and Hanan told him, 'we're alert, tense and watching', so they clearly weren't asleep."
The family, who lives in the southern town of Arad, is still having trouble accepting the fact that Hanan will never return.
"We'll never really get it. I save all the newspapers and record the news, waiting for Hanan to arrive so I can tell him 'we threw you a party. Come tell me what you've been up to.' It's like a science fiction film, where I see the news and suddenly I'm there. It can't really be me," she concluded.
