Golani Captain Nitai Okshi, a company commander, will be awarded a citation for bravery for his actions in an encounter with Palestinian gunmen near the Gaza border fence last July. The citation will be awarded by Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, head of the IDF's Southern Command.
Okshi and a force under his command were alerted to an area near the border fence following reports of suspicious activity in the area.
Upon arrival, Okshi spotted two Palestinian gunmen lying in wait several feet away. Together with another officer, Okshi charged at the gunmen while shouting commands to the soldiers behind him.
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| Video courtesy IDF Spokesman |
Suddenly, Okshi noticed the proximity between one of the gunmen and his soldiers. Yelling at them to take cover, he charged the Palestinian militant. As he advanced towards the gunmen, he realized that he no longer had any ammunition left in his rifle.
But despite being bare-handed, he continued to rush towards the armed man, who was preparing to throw a shrapnel grenade at the officer. However just before the grenade exploded Okshi managed to tackle the militant and shield himself from the blast, with the gunman's body absorbing the impact of his own grenade.
Okshi will receive a citation for his bravery, resourcefulness, determination, leadership and the initiative he displayed throughout the encounter.
The IDF has said that this skirmish was demonstrative of the type of activities and face-to-face battles that soldiers have been carrying out in Gaza in recent months.
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