When Sergeant Shaliu Avitan arrived about two months ago on the “line” in front of Gaza, as part of his military service in the 9th Armored Battalion of the 401st Brigade, he felt at home. After all, he is a resident of Zikim, and grew up in Ashkelon as a child. Now he is actually protecting his family members. This week , when he was following the Israeli military after the shooting from Gaza towards the settlements in the south, he received a message about a rocket that hit close to his house.
“We sat in HML and were on alert, with equipment and a vest,” he says. “We followed the reports, we saw everything that was happening and of course the crashes and interceptions. We also heard about a fall in Kibbutz Zikim. Within a minute my father called. My parents and my brother left the house and took pictures of what happened there. It was stressful.”
What have you heard from them?
“They were scared. It was at night, they woke up and ran to the emergency room, and then the whole house shook. After that they went out and saw the damage. Shrapnel hit the garden, the fence, the car. Also in the neighbors’ vehicles. From father’s words I understood how close it was.
“I updated the general manager and the friends, and everyone felt complicit in my feelings and what I was going through. They asked if there was anything that could be helped, if I wanted to sit down and talk to someone. It was amazing to feel this camaraderie. A real feeling that I am not alone but with the people who surround me here.”
Shalio moved with his family from Ashkelon to Kibbutz Zikim about six years ago, and has now arrived at the Gaza Strip after a period in Judea and Samaria. His mission is to cut the gap between the Gaza Strip and the settlements in the south, and to prevent infiltration or attempts at close range damage. “We are responsible for a certain border line that also includes the sea, we monitor what is happening and make sure with the other units that serve here that there is no infiltration from the Strip, with the aim of thwarting such attempts and protecting the space.”
Does the fact that you live close make a difference to the service here?
“Yes, we even enjoy the knowledge that we are guarding not only the country but the house itself. I experienced rounds of combat both as a civilian and as a soldier. Now that I’m here it takes on a different meaning.”
Most of the kibbutz residents evacuated to the central area, but Shalev remained on the border between Zikim and Gaza. According to him, he does not regret it: “My parents left the house, they are in Jerusalem. Most of the kibbutz is not found. Always when there are times like this, a kind of vacation is organized, to let the residents get away from the tension and rest. It is not easy for the parents to know that they left the house and I am in the Gaza Strip, but I Very happy to be here and protect the kibbutz. This is more important to me than traveling with them, and I am very happy doing this.”
