It lasted 240 minutes. Thinking about that time span really illustrates the dedication shown by Sgt. S on October 7, as that is the length of time that she held the hand of 2nd Lt. Eden Ram in the Urim base as Hamas terrorists were storming southern Israel.
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For 4 hours, they spoke quietly to one another, keeping each other close, hoping they wouldn't be next to be caught in the Hamas massacre. It was only around noon that counter-terrorist operatives, along with a special negotiation team managed to arrive at the scene.
For Sgt. S, a 20-year-old soldier from Beer Sheva, it was the definition of hell. For unbearable stretches of time, she was buried under the bodies of her murdered friends and miraculously survived.
However, Sgt. Shir Shlomo, Cpl. Lior Levy and Sgt. Danit Cohen were not as fortunate. Losing her best friends notwithstanding, Sgt. S insisted on making her way back to the base, since rebuilt.
“I wanted to go back to the familiar routine as quickly as I could, to the people that were left there,” she told Ynet. Now, for the first time since that horrible Saturday, she relives the moments of terror inside the situation room, explaining how the girls did the best they could to evade the Hamas onslaught, and how Cpt. Alina Pravosodova fell while protecting them.
On the morning of October 7, the base contained 14 soldiers. At 7:26 a.m., 10 Hamas terrorists infiltrated the base, armed to the teeth, hoping to exact a maximum number of casualties after successfully breaching the perimeter with an explosive charge. At 8:20 a.m. they barged into the situation room, where Sgt. S, Eden Ram and other soldiers were situated.
“At 6:20a.m. the early warning system collapsed. There were rockets flying all over the place. The system was completely unresponsive," Sgt. S recalls. "I felt an increasing amount of anxiousness within me, since we were unaccustomed to such a barrage of rockets. But then I decided to get a hold of myself, and started managing the event. I made a phone call to update my commanders but, unfortunately, no one was answering the phones. I woke up all of the girls, two of which showed up at the situation room still wearing their pajamas. I ran into the dormitory to pick up my uniform, because soon enough other senior officers were scheduled to arrive on site and I wanted to make sure that at least one of us was presentable."
Sgt. S managed to call her mother, informing her of the rocket barrage, and then hung up right away. Subsequently, some of the girls grouped together inside the small, protective structure, and from there darting into the situation room.
“We were stuck there for about 20 minutes because every time we wanted to move a new siren howled. Lior and I realized we were very much needed inside the room, so I informed the other girls that I’m leaving and anybody who wishes to accompany me is more than welcome to do so."
They're inside the base
By that time, Hamas terrorists were already inside the base, shooting at them as they ran along. “Lior and Cpl. Ofer Davidian were both wounded. Lior was supposed to run to Sgt. Itamar Aish, who was supposed to arrive at the situation room right alongside her, but he too was gunned down,” according to Sgt. S.
Doing their best to keep their cool in an impossible situation, soldiers inside the situation room maintained a great deal of poise and, up until the moment the terrorists stormed inside the situation room, they did their utmost to keep the event going in a professional manner while also sounding the alarm and asking for help.
As the terrorists made their way inside the base, the other girls hid behind the table, while Capt. Alina Pravosodova aimed her weapon at the door, hoping to hit them as they came inside. However, the terrorists tossed grenades prior to their entry into the room, thereby neutralizing her plans.
"When the terrorist began pushing against the door, she opened fire, which triggered a fire fight. She did everything she could possibly have done. They emptied entire clips at her and shot her several more times to make sure she was not getting up. After the terrorists stormed inside the situation room, they ransacked the place, which was oddly followed by silence," she said.
“From the moment the situation room became silent, and the terrorists had left the building, Eden began mumbling. I wasn’t able to comprehend what she was saying, as my ears were ringing loudly, and my head was throbbing. I told her 'Eden, please calm down,' and she told me 'look where I was hit’. I was able to locate one of the phones trashed on the ground and then I turned my head around to scour the room, and as I did so, it hit me. So many of my friends were just lying there, never to get up again," Sgt. S said.
“I did my best to focus on Eden, since her left leg was absolutely saturated with blood. I kept thinking to myself: 'How is it that Eden and I are supposed to make our way out of here?' At that moment, I removed my shirt and got close to her as best as I could, and tied the shirt around her leg as a tourniquet. We held hands and refused to let go. With all the adrenaline, I didn’t even realize that I myself was also shot," she described.
Rescue is at hand
“I could hear extensive combat raging outside. I told Eden that we were about to get some help, all the while making sure that she was still alive. Since there was no reception, we found ourselves unable to call for any more assistance. After 12 p.m., I could hear other doors around the base being barged into, which naturally triggered my fear that terrorists were making another round to make sure they killed everyone.
“All of a sudden we heard plenty of shouting going on, and Eden said these were our guys, but I myself was still unconvinced, and told her not to get her hopes up. Fortunately, three IDF soldiers came inside. They removed Shir from my legs, someone else grabbed me and simply lifted me up and carried me outside. It was only then that I realized that I was actually shot in the leg," she said.
“I kept asking what was going on with Eden and all the other soldiers. A few minutes later me and two other soldiers were being taken on stretchers to Soroka Medical Center. My mom was already waiting in the emergency room. I asked her about Eden and she went to look for her. Luckily, she found her there and updated me that she was ok. Eden is still going on with her process of rehabilitation and I’m doing the best I can to go back to the routine I had prior to October 7,” Sgt. S added.
It was only two days later that Sergeant S was discharged from the hospital, and was already anxious to get back to service. “I felt a sense of comfort coming back here, realizing that everything is ok and that people were coming back, which gave a sense of normalcy that was sorely lacking. It gave me a boost of confidence," she explains.
“But just because everything looks new, is not an indication that the events that transpire there have somehow been erased. Still, it gives a sense that we absolutely have to move forward no matter what. It was important for me to get back to my routine. It’s my own little victory in this absolutely horrendous ordeal. I am now a commissioned officer, and I serve once again inside the situation room with the girls. Getting to know new girls that came in place of those who were brutally gunned down is quite difficult. As far as my emotions go, it is very much a double-edged sword.”