Transcript [00:00] In Gaza, the IDF and Shinbet eliminated Muhammad Fatri Abdhai Abu Fakir, the commander of Hamas's [00:08] Yabn battalion in the Rafa brigade. He was not just another field operative. For years, [00:14] he was part of Hamas's smuggling, supply, and rebuilding network. And now, [00:20] he was trying to rebuild the force that had been damaged throughout the war. [00:25] So why should the elimination of one commander in Rafa concern everyone watching Iran today? [00:31] Because Gaza is not an isolated event. It is an Iranian laboratory. What Thran is trying to [00:37] do with nuclear weapons on the strategic level, it has already done for years inside of Gaza Strip on [00:43] the educational, the military, and the terrorist level. Take a young generation, teach them that [00:49] the Jews are an enemy that must be destroyed. Send them into tunnels. arm them with rockets, [00:55] explosive drones, and anti-tank weapons, and then call it resistance. While the revolutionary guards [01:01] threaten the United States, demand immunity, money, control over the Strait of Humuz, [01:07] and even speak openly about the need for nuclear deterrence against Israel. Hamas and Gaza is doing [01:14] exactly what terrorist organizations do when the world gives them time. It's rebuilding. [01:20] The IDF has identified a troubling picture in recent months. Hamas is recruiting young men [01:25] between the ages of 18 and 22. It is renewing training for NUBA units. Every single month, [01:32] it is producing hundreds of explosive devices, rockets, and anti-tank missiles. It is trying [01:37] to smuggle drone parts and communication equipment into the strip from the Sinai Peninsula. And it is [01:44] rebuilding underground infrastructure in areas where it still feels it has room to breathe. [01:49] That's why Israel continues to operate beyond the light yellow line in Gaza. This is not just a [01:54] line on a map. It's an attempt to push the threat away from the communities of the Gaza envelope to [02:01] prevent Kamas from moving close to the border again and to make it understand that time is [02:06] not working in its favor. But this is where the diplomatic battle truly begins. Inside the IDF, [02:13] there are voices saying very clearly, Israel must return to broad fighting. In Washington, however, [02:20] there is opposition to such a move. The American administration wants to preserve the agreement, [02:26] advance President Trump's vision, and move Gaza into the next phase through the Peace Council. [02:32] On paper, it sounds clear. disarming Hamas, establishing a new civilian administration, [02:37] bringing in an international stabilization force, and creating humanitarian zones that [02:42] will not be under Hamas control. The first pilot is expected to begin in Tel Sultan near Rafa. [02:49] Civilians without weapons and without ties to Hamas will be able to enter protected compounds. [02:56] aid will pass through supervised channels. And the goal is to separate Hamas from the population, [03:02] from the territory, and from the resources. The problem is that Hamas was not born yesterday. [03:09] It already knows how to turn aid into power, how to turn a school into shelter for terrorism, [03:15] how to turn a mosque into a weapons depot, how to turn a hospital into a command center, how [03:21] to stand in front of the cameras and talk about reconstruction while under the feet of civilians, [03:27] it's digging the next war. We saw it again in Rafa in the White Sparrow Tunnel, an underground route [03:34] more than 16 km long, up to 30 m deep. That's 100 ft and around 80 rooms and infrastructure spaces. [03:43] A tunnel that ran under a dense civilian area with schools, mosques, kindergartens, clinics, [03:49] and even an UNLA compound. engineering forces, the AALA unit, and southern command forces sealed it [03:56] over several months with more than 30,000 cubic meters of concrete. That's not a tunnel. That is [04:03] a military city beneath civilian life. And that is exactly the heart of this story. Hamas wants the [04:10] world to see ruins. Israel sees a system. Hamas wants the world to talk about reconstruction. [04:16] And Israel is asking who will control the concrete, the crossings, the fuel, the money, [04:22] and the next generation. Because if the same doctrine remains, if the same education remains, [04:28] and if the same weapons remain, then the question is not whether Hamas will recover. The question is [04:34] when it will attack again. Guys, what you see on YouTube is only part of the story. [04:39] Get closer to firsthand reports, behindthe-scenes moments, and stories of faith, resilience, and [04:45] hope from Israel if you visit tbn.org/journeys/ boots or text boots to 316316 for direct updates [04:54] from TBN Israel with me, Mati Shosani, and Yel, reporting directly from the country. You're not [05:00] just watching the news, you're witnessing what's happening on the ground. TBN Israel brings honest [05:06] and full coverage from the ground in Israel to viewers around the world. In partnership with TBN, [05:13] we share what's really happening through a Christian perspective rooted in truth, [05:18] in faith, and the people living every day. Your support helps deliver on the ground reporting, [05:24] real stories of resilience and hope, and trusted coverage that connects Christians and people of [05:29] faith around the world to Israel. Now back to Gaza because almost 3 years after October 7th, [05:35] Hamas is trying to sell the world a new version of itself. Less massacre, more politics, less NBA [05:43] forces on camera, more delegations in Cairo, less slaughter in the communities of the Gaza envelope, [05:49] more words like reconstruction, technocratic committee, stabilization force, and Palestinian [05:55] freedom. But inside Israel and especially in southern Israel, people remember very well what [06:02] happens when words are confused with reality. The head of the Sha Hanega Regional Council said it [06:07] simply, "Anyone who does not listen has learned nothing." While Hamas prepares the next attack, [06:14] Israel cannot afford to go back to an imaginary defense line. And that is exactly why this episode [06:20] you're about to watch is now important right now. In the series Heroes of October 7th and beyond, [06:27] led by the one and only Eric Stacklebeck, we enter one of the hardest and most important chapters of [06:32] the war, into the maze of evil. This is an inside look at Israel's ground maneuver in the Gaza [06:39] Strip, at the most complicated urban battlefield in the world and at the way IDF soldiers fought [06:45] an enemy that turned homes into traps, schools into firing positions, and civilians into human [06:51] shields. This is not a history episode. It is a guide to understanding what's really happening [06:58] now. Because to understand why Israel cannot allow Hamas to rebuild, you have to see what [07:03] the soldiers found when they went inside, you have to understand what it looks like to fight [07:09] an enemy that does not value life, not Israeli life, and not the lives of its own people. You [07:15] have to hear from the people who were there inside the homes, inside the streets, facing the shafts, [07:21] facing the explosives, and facing the hardest moral question of all. How do you fight evil [07:27] without yourself becoming evil? I'm Ati Shashani and what you are about to watch now is not only [07:33] a story about the fighting in Gaza. It is the story of what happens when Iran builds a doctrine [07:38] of annihilation and Israel is forced to enter the maze in order to dismantle it from within. [07:47] We couldn't contain the terror that was emanating from this place. [07:52] complete loss of control of the Gaza Strip. Complete. On October 27th, [07:59] Israel launched a fullscale ground invasion. It wasn't that you had to pull people out of [08:04] their homes to come serve. You're talking about 150% attendance rate. But I won't lie to you, [08:10] it was of course one of the scariest nights of my life. I went through their houses, 95% [08:15] of the houses over there supporting Hamas while they're using their own people as human shield. [08:22] Hamas on the 7th of October is an organization bigger and more organized than all of ISIS. Who [08:30] paid for it? And why are the people starving when billions of dollars went into building [08:36] the Hamas war machine? This is a a moral code or lack thereof that we can't wrap our heads around. [08:43] How do you fight a war against an enemy that doesn't value life? Not yours, not theirs. a death [08:51] cult driven by pure evil. In the aftermath of October 7th, 2023, Israel was about to find out. [09:19] Over two years have passed since that dark day. But to understand why this war looks so [09:26] different from all the ones before it, you have to rewind to those first days. Israel [09:32] had endured four so-called mini wars with Hamas. Operation Cast Lead in 2008 2009, [09:41] Pillar of Defense in 2012, Protective Edge in 2014, and Guardian of the Walls in 2021. [09:51] In a country that values life and hates losing its sons and daughters in war, [09:56] Israel had avoided fullcale boots on the ground invasions. Instead, it lived from [10:03] attack to attack, ceasefire to ceasefire, absorbing blows, striking back from the air, [10:12] and containing Hamas in the hopes of buying quiet. But October 7th shattered that cycle. This time, [10:22] the mission wasn't to simply restore calm. It was to dismantle Hamas root and branch. The [10:31] IDF's invasion began with massive air raids, targeting command centers, rocket launchers, [10:38] and tunnel shafts across the Gaza Strip. And then came the decision that marked a turning [10:45] point to send the IDF in on the ground. This was uncharted territory in the modern [10:53] era. Israeli troops would have to fight block by block, house by house against an enemy that [11:00] had spent nearly two decades turning Gaza into a booby trapped fortress of terror. [11:13] On October 13th, 2023, armored IDF units made their first limited ground incursions into Gaza, [11:21] probing defenses and gathering intelligence. Two weeks later, [11:25] on October 27th, Israel launched a fullscale ground invasion. [11:48] over 100,000 soldiers, infantry, tanks, combat engineers, and elite special [11:55] forces surged into northern Gaza, Gaza City, Kunis, and eventually Rafa. The world said, [12:06] "Don't go into Rafa." Israel went anyway because without driving into the heart of [12:12] Hamas's operations and cutting off the lifeline of rockets and contraband flooding through the [12:19] Philadelphia corridor on Gaza's border with Egypt, there was no chance to dismantle Hamas. [12:26] Israel's intelligence work stunned even seasoned commanders and eventually led [12:31] to the killing of Hamas's elusive leader Yaya Sinoir, the architect of October 7th. [12:41] Now, despite what the global propaganda machine would have you believe, [12:47] Israel never abandoned its moral code. Before strikes, the IDF dropped leaflets, [12:55] made phone calls, and sent text alerts warning civilians to evacuate. [13:02] Hamas, on the other hand, did the opposite. They not only refused to protect their own people, [13:10] they ensured that they be in danger. Hamas embedded rocket launchers in neighborhoods, [13:18] stored weapons in mosques and schools, and forced Gaza civilians to stay in harm's way [13:25] as human shields. While Israel built a nation where civilians are protected with sirens, [13:34] reinforced safe rooms, and bomb shelters, Hamas built something else. [13:47] a sprawling underground terror tunnel network larger than the New York City subway. [13:56] Above ground, Gaza civilians were left exposed. Below ground, Hamas leaders sat safe in bunkers, [14:04] directing the fight, sacrificing their own people for propaganda victories. [14:13] The Gaza war wasn't just a military campaign. It was a test of values. And in the months [14:20] that followed, the IDF showed that strength and morality are not opposites. They're two [14:26] sides of the same fight. Today, Monti Shosani is sitting down with one of those young IDF heroes. [14:36] Elcana Cohen, a reserve combat officer who was boots on the ground in Gaza, [14:42] staring the enemy in the face and seeing its true horrific nature up close. [14:52] Captain El Kanako, but today just civilian El Kanaken, you left the uniform behind for today. [14:59] You're here with us and we're talking about the events of October 7th through the perspective [15:02] and the eyes of someone who fights in a very prestigious unit in the Israeli army and has [15:07] seen a lot hundreds of days of what the war has looked like from multiple fronts. So, [15:13] first of all, thank you for taking the time to come and talk. Thank you for having me. It's [15:16] really a great privilege to be here. During my active services to serve in Duv Dean, for those [15:24] who watch FA, this is basically almost the same as what we do. Duv Devan, which means cherry, [15:31] is very well known for being a unit that does things to the edge. Is the cream of the crop when [15:37] it comes to counterterrorism and it's the cream of the crop, I think, when it comes to the difficulty [15:40] of the training that goes into it. Yeah, I served there as an officer, as a team commander. [15:47] I used to be in charge of process combat experience and also in charge of the recruits [15:52] to the elite commander unit. Uh but on October 7, I joined my old team that I did the training [15:59] course with. You go into Gaza, you're in 551. So this is a crack unit that goes in ahead of a lot [16:03] of the other forces. And the people of Hamas and Gaza knew you guys were coming. They had already [16:09] built up an entire infrastructure of terrorism and tunnels and all that jazz awaiting the IDF. Yeah, [16:20] it was crazy. We were the first brigade to cross the border and to start fighting there. Um, [16:26] usually when we conquer land, when you start moving forward, you know that your back is [16:32] safe already, but because in Gaza they have huge subway city under, you can advance forward. But [16:42] then one of the kamas terrorists showing up from tunnel and shooting towards you. [17:00] One time we went into a house after we were scanning and searching hundreds [17:06] of houses against terrorist and tunnels and bombs and we were already exhausted. [17:17] We were searching the cabin and the beds but all my friends were already tired. So they [17:22] lay down on one of the bed there and I was very tired and I wanted to also fall asleep. [17:28] But right before I went into Gaza, my wife told me, "Every time when you feel tired, [17:33] this is your time to be aware." So I think I probably had that in my mind and I opened one [17:38] of the cabinet and I found a doctoral certificate and all of my friends told me, "Kuna, you see it's [17:43] a doctor. We have nothing to be worried about." So like, "All right." And I kept searching. [17:52] And I was searching and then I opened another cabin and I found AK-47 magazine and then I [17:58] found radios and I told him let's stand up and let's try to move one of the heavy beds [18:04] that was there and when we moved that we saw two missile connected into electricity wire that was [18:09] supposed to explode while we were inside this house and we went outside but right before we [18:16] did it we put small amount of TNT in order to trigger the bomb to make sure that no other [18:20] soldier will go into that house. And when we came back to see what left from that house, [18:28] this house was ashes till the ground and three houses surround them was totally destroyed. And as [18:37] someone who cherished life, I didn't understand why people will pop bonds inside their house. [18:42] Like for me it was crazy to understand that there were people that are willing to to jeopardize [18:47] their babies, to jeopardize their family, you know, to fight someone that they only hate. [18:59] We're going to find that there's like AK-47 inside this teddy bear. Every [19:07] house that I've been through was full with bombs, rifles. [19:14] And I also saw their math books. Uh when we went through the schools, [19:20] we saw books that the mass quiz was if you murder two Jewish and you have group of 10, [19:29] how much have left? This is like what they getting educated since they born. [19:38] They're [19:42] describing the homes, but the homes are empty at this point, [19:45] right? Most of them. Yeah. 95%. Where are the people? We let them know that [19:51] we coming and we tell them where to go and we tell them where is the safety zones. [20:15] while we fighting out of caring about those civilians while I can tell you that I went [20:22] through their houses 95% of their houses over there supporting Hamas no doubt and [20:28] yet we're trying to avoid any casualties while they're using their own people as human shield. [20:41] One time we were needed to concrete a school full with terrorists and also terror infrastructure. [20:48] But we also knew that that school was full with civilians and we start calling them all out but [20:53] no one left the area and we didn't understand why. So we used our drones in order to scan [20:58] that school from above. And then we saw that there is kamas guards inside the school that [21:04] didn't let those civilians to leave the area. One of the kids there from the drone it seems like a [21:11] 5 years old kid tried to run away and one of the kamas guard without second guessing took his AK-47 [21:16] and killed this kid in front of his mom. And in that point we understand that we have to kill [21:23] those guards not only for our sake but also for those people's sake. Wow. And one of the kamas [21:30] terrorist he was holding a baby just in front of us. And behind them was a guy that were holding [21:37] a camera and just waited for us to take that shot. And of course we didn't took that shot. I [21:44] put my life on the line. He knew exactly where we were. They could have aimed any RPG sniper [21:50] that they had towards us. And yet we didn't took that shot because unlike them, you know, [21:55] like we we're not killing babies. We're not we don't want to be there. We don't want to fight. [22:04] Don't forget that we're trying to look for our people, our brother and sister that got kidnapped. [22:09] I remember myself going hus to hus looking at the walls making sure if there is any sign of like [22:16] someone wrote something on the wall left something behind to see like tears of blood on the I don't [22:23] like I wanted to see something like for me it was my entire goal was to rescue my brother and sister [22:32] and you're losing friends out of good cause because we're fighting in order to do good [22:37] things. But unfortunately, we lose so many good people. [22:48] One time we heard an explosion very close to us [22:55] and I felt that this is like it was 100 meters away and I was on the watch and I [23:02] heard the radio's getting crazy and I gave the radio to one of my friend. I told him, [23:08] "Mik, what is going on right now?" [23:13] And then we understood that we lost two people of our [23:17] um battalion. Um I lost a lot of friends, 28 to be precise. [23:29] You know, when this war started, I think a lot of people in Israel and outside of [23:32] Israel were concerned about how will the Xbox, the Nintendo, Tik Tok generation, Tik Tok generation, [23:38] how will they deal in a time of war? You know, it's so impressive to see the fighting spirit [23:43] that they have in them and it pulled everyone sort of out of their their coma and said, [23:47] "Hey, wake up guys. We're fighting here for our existence against an evil that wants to destroy [23:52] us." I think that as a Jewish people, we've been through a lot through history. And if you ask [23:58] anyone through those time, they will tell you the Jewish nation probably will be eliminated. [24:09] One of my best friends, his name was Etan. He used to sleep in the same room in my mina in my Shiva [24:18] and then he used to serve in my unit and we lost him. And when my wife delivered our first baby, [24:29] both of us decided to call my son after it. When we see grief, when we see hard time, [24:38] we're not focusing on the hard moment. We know them. We know how to deal with [24:43] them. But then immediately we going into the positive side [24:51] because we know that what we do, we're doing for the greater good. And I think this is who [24:57] we are. We're not looking for for fight. We want to stay at home with our families. [25:09] Thank you. Thank you very much. [25:17] Israel sends its sons and daughters because it must. Most just want a quiet life, not a lifelong [25:25] fight. But when called, they go in under a written code. The spirit of the IDF. It begins with four [25:34] fundamentals. Defend the state and its people. Love and loyalty to Israel. Uphold human dignity [25:42] for every person. And serve as the people's army under Israel's laws and elected government. From [25:49] that foundation flows the field rules. Purity of arms. Use force only for the mission and [25:57] only as needed. and do everything possible to spare uninvolved civilians and prisoners. Human [26:05] life. Treat life as precious even in combat. Responsibility, reliability, and personal [26:13] example. Tell it straight. Own your actions. Lead from the front. Professionalism and discipline. [26:23] Master your craft and follow only legal orders. camaraderie. Never leave a comrade behind and a [26:33] sense of mission. Serve as a vocation, not a slogan. This war has tested that code against [26:40] an enemy with no ethics or value set. A death cult that hides among civilians while propaganda flips [26:49] the story upside down. Yet the IDF standard stands, written, taught, and enforced. [26:59] I'm about to meet another IDF hero who embodies [27:03] this code with every step he takes. His name is Aaron Bors. [27:12] Aaron, it is great to have you with us. You've got an incredible story of survival and heroism, [27:19] but before we get into that, take us back to your beginnings. Sure. I grew up in Great Neck, [27:25] Long Island. My parents uh fell in love in Tel Aviv. H my dad is from Holland. My mom is from [27:32] New York and he was on a kibbut. She was in Wan studying Hebrew. This was a Zionist home. [27:38] Absolutely. Uh we grew up with love for Israel and my identity as a quasi Israeli growing up was [27:48] was from that. So that factors in obviously to your decision to become a lone soldier. [27:54] Yeah. Tell us what a lone soldier is. A lone soldier means that you're serving in the IDF [28:00] without your parents physically here in Israel. There's about 5,000 lone soldiers, give or take, [28:07] every year in Israel. They give up whatever you know luxuries and privileges they had in the homes [28:14] where they grew up and they comeing to serve. You left a comfortable life in New York a prosperous [28:19] place and you came to Israel where you knew there was a very good chance you may see combat and may [28:24] see action, right? I was pursuing dual degree in business and literature and that was meant [28:30] to be the track I was growing on. And then I just got to the understanding that the best [28:35] way for me was to join the protection of Israel, its people, the Hebrew tribe. And you served in [28:42] the Givati brigades. Pretty legendary. Givati is southern command. So anything that happens related [28:49] to Gaza Kamas usually involves Givati. And being in the reserves means that at any given notice, [28:56] you are part of a fighting force. You're part of a defensive force. You drop everything and you [29:01] go. Yeah. Everyone's got their their back. It's pretty amazing to me with reserve duty, I mean, [29:09] guys in their 30s and their 40s, even older, leaving their families, leaving comfortable lives, [29:14] comfortable jobs, and literally going to the front lines. Yeah. It wasn't that you had to pull people [29:19] out of their homes to come serve, right? I mean, you're talking about 150% attendance [29:23] rate. You see the fear on a lot of these reser faces as we understand kind of the gravity of [29:32] the situation and you also see the motivation um because of how many were killed, captured, [29:39] um violated in in disgusting ways. And um I had never seen the IDF like that. [29:49] Eventually on October 30th, we went in. [30:00] Right now, thousands of Israeli children are carrying wounds you cannot see. They've lived [30:06] through rocket attacks, through terror, evacuation, sleepless nights, and the [30:12] constant fear that their world could change in a moment. Many of these children are struggling [30:18] with trauma with anxiety and emotional pain that no child should ever have to endure. That's why [30:27] organizations like Shilo Israel Children's Fund are providing critical therapy, emotional support, [30:34] and healing programs for children affected by war and terror. Their mission is to help these [30:41] kids find hope again and rebuild their lives. But they can't do it alone. Today, I want to [30:47] ask you to stand with the children of Israel. Your gift can help provide trauma counseling, [30:54] therapeutic programs, and life-changing support for a child who desperately needs [31:00] hope and healing. So, please go right now to israelchildren.org/h hope. Every donation [31:09] matters. Every child matters. And together we can remind these children that they are not [31:16] forgotten. They are not alone and there is still hope. Thank you and God bless you from Israel. [31:26] Eventually on October 30th we went in artillery, air force, our tank units, [31:34] Shirion, all the elite forces, search and rescue. It seemed like everyone was moving in unison. [31:43] We went in on foot. It was 6 km to get to Bet Canon. That's the north of the Gaza Strip. [31:51] Um, but I won't lie to you. It was of course one [31:54] of the scariest nights of my life. Beton was a mess from the beginning. [32:04] It's a civilization unfortunately that's bred on the demonization of others versus uh the [32:10] perseverance and the prosperity of their own and you feel that in going house to house. [32:16] There's no art on the walls. There's no portrait of the family. If there's something on the walls, [32:23] it's some kind of framed picture of a martyr who either died trying to or successfully [32:28] hurting or killing Jews. And this is kind of a common theme as you go through these [32:33] houses. When we'd find stacks of photos, there was always a photo with the men, [32:40] little kids included, holding AK-47s and just a feeling of of violence. [32:51] Baby girl, [32:59] right? understanding of just the visceral nature, [33:01] unfortunately, of how these kids grow up and how quickly they're exposed to [33:04] weaponry and how quickly they're exposed to terrorism. A culture of death. Yeah. [33:13] In one of the homes we went into, there was in one of the bedroom closets, [33:17] one of the little girls, there were rocket heads. [33:24] And one of the kitchens, there was wooden boards. When we took them off, [33:28] there were AK-47s and bullets for those AK-47s. [33:35] School backpacks. We found grenades. And it shouldn't have come as a surprise to us or [33:40] a shock to us. But it did that on the 15th day, there were kamas terrorists hiding inside of an [33:45] unro school ready to pounce. Hiding inside of a UN sponsored and funded school. And that brings [33:54] us to your story. Yeah. So, we're moving house to house looking for these tunnels. We found six of [34:02] them and we're tasked with overtaking a home where we believe there might be a tunnel. It requires us [34:09] crossing in front of this UNRA school and it's a path of about 150 m and there was something eerie [34:19] about that morning and about that place. I get to the house that we were meant to overtake. I get [34:26] to the entrance of the house and turn around to see where my officer is. He's about 20 m, [34:31] 65 ft from me. I hear and I see shots fired from the school. Um, I see my officer go down Davidid. [34:43] He's in really bad shape. He's lying on his side. But I make split-second decision that if I don't [34:48] try to get him inside, save his life, he's going to he's going to die. Um, so I ran out to him. I [34:55] lift him up over my shoulder. I take two to three feet towards uh the house where our soldiers are [35:00] to get him back to safety and on that third step, bam, I feel something like a cannonball [35:06] hit my leg. Knocks me down on my face. Now I'm on the ground. I instantly believe that I lost my [35:16] leg. Um, I couldn't feel anything below my knee. If I don't crawl myself back to the house, I'm [35:23] probably going to lose my life. Um, so I start to crawl, getting myself out of that situation. Um, [35:31] as I'm crawling, you know, moving quite fast. They're trying to finish the job. So there's [35:35] bullets flying all around me. One of those AK-47 bullets strikes my left leg. So I get shot in my [35:41] left leg as well. And and now I'm I'm just pulling myself with my upper body to get to the house. [35:47] None of our soldiers came out to try to get me, which I'm very happy about. Um because, [35:53] you know, with a sniper, it's basically a death zone. So, uh you start to think about, you know, [35:59] your your life and and it ending. Um but so yeah, I was able to get back into the house. Um I was [36:10] evacuated in a Hummer and then helicopter by 669. It's probably the best search and rescue team in [36:16] the world. Sure enough, uh, miracles do happen. And I woke up at Shiva Medical Center and the, [36:24] you know, doctor told that, you know, 99.9% of the time, fragment of the bone or a piece [36:31] of the bullet will hit an artery and you lose the leg. Um, and that didn't happen in my case. [36:40] I was in a wheelchair for the first 3 months. Then I graduated to crutches and then one crutch, [36:46] then a cane. There was also a walker in the middle there. So quite a long recovery. [37:16] the volume of people trying to visit injured soldiers, trying to cheer us up, support us, [37:22] um was was uh like nothing I've ever seen before. Probably an anomaly in any other country in the [37:29] world. the amount of volunteers of people pouring in to give us gifts to donate money. You had [37:36] doctors flying in from all over the world to just provide services, support, care for the soldiers. [37:42] At one point, it was overwhelming. I had to lock the door of the room. I mean, it was it was [37:47] insanity. It's beautiful to see. It's an amazing country. It's an amazing people. And yet we've [37:56] got this misinformation, disinformation campaign raging around the world, anti-Israel sentiment [38:03] skyrocketing. Yeah. Anti-semitism exploding. It's a very, very troubling trend. And Aaron, [38:09] that's why I think what you're doing now is so important. Yeah. So, I've never been uh [38:17] super active on social media and I really didn't plan for this at all. But after I was injured, [38:23] um the people came to interview me. I was one of the only native English speakers in the ward. Many [38:31] of the gripes of some of the soldiers in Gaza is that our lives are put more in danger because of [38:37] the fact that the IDF acts with such restraint. a few reporters come and start to kind of air my [38:42] story and get the word out right about what had happened to me. He was recently shot in both legs [38:48] while attempting to save one of his officers during a firefight out of a My name is Eric [38:52] Morris and I'm a proud really proud lone soldier in the IDF. So being thrust into the the limelight [39:00] because of this story and telling that story in synagogues and churches and college campuses, [39:06] I think that's a muscle that that um that I need to flex, not just for my own recovery, but also [39:10] because I I just don't think there's enough people doing it. I continue to recover and I continue to [39:15] receive lots of that support and and I have a lot to be thankful for and uh yeah, that's my story. [39:25] Good evening, Toronto. I'm Aaron Morris, but certainly a different [39:28] Aaron from October 6th. I've battled in Gaza, sustained critical injuries, [39:33] and I've undergone a zone is real. It's growing, and it threatens freedom, [39:37] safety, your values. So find your maximum point of impact and push hard and harder. [39:45] My story includes something that I think a lot of people still deny to this day, [39:49] which is that kamas essentially take schools, hospitals, places of worship, [39:54] and they flip them into what for them is applicable to the battlefield. This is a a moral [40:01] code or lack thereof that we just um you know, we can't wrap our heads around. And in the IDF, [40:07] it's the opposite. There's a strict moral code. In fact, that's why the school was standing. [40:11] So this unor school where they were shooting at us from there's a reason why it was left [40:14] intact. You know my officer Omri Davidid may rest in peace he was killed because of that moral code [40:25] and because of kamas's abuse of that same code and that code is the spirit of the IDF. Right? [40:30] That's how I knew the IDF before I enlisted. It's how I knew the IDF while I was in active service. [40:34] It's how I've known the IDF as a reservist. No soldier that I've served with, not a single one, [40:40] takes any pride or joy in the fact that civilians get killed. When that happens, it's only by [40:47] mistake or calculated error. And it's because those civilians are put in harm's way by Hamas. [40:57] And I do feel for I do feel for that civilian population. And most of the people I serve with [41:04] feel for that civilian population. Um, the average Israeli wants to see peace. [41:12] The average Israeli wants to live their lives, uh, provide for their family, pursue a career, [41:19] protect their homes. These are not people that look for war, want to be at war. Aaron, [41:26] thank you for sharing your incredible story of survival, a miraculous story of heroism. [41:31] It's been an honor to be with you. We can't thank you enough. Thank you. [41:40] When we return, we'll dive deeper into how Hamas's hell hole took root on Israel's border, [41:47] and we'll meet a war hero who served in Gaza decades ago and saw it all coming. [42:02] So, how does a place that's been called the world's biggest refugee [42:06] camp turn into a hardened war zone stacked with rockets, booby traps, [42:13] and miles of tunnels? Who paid for it and why? And moreover, [42:20] why are the people starving when billions of dollars went into building the Hamas war machine? [42:32] Start here. Hamas didn't do this alone. It belongs to Iran's payroll and playbook. cash, training, [42:43] weapons designs, and doctrine flowing from Thran to turn Gaza into a forward operating base against [42:52] Israel. Later on, years of smuggling through Rafa and dualuse materials diverted underground. [43:01] Concrete that should build homes instead poured into fortifications. Pipes that should carry water [43:10] turned into rocket casings. Fiber optics that could connect classrooms strung through command [43:18] bunkers. Above ground you see crowded streets. Below a city within a city built for war. How [43:26] did they get away with it? Partly through information warfare and an aid ecosystem [43:33] that Hamas learned to exploit. Money arrives for civilians, but the regime skimmed, taxed, [43:41] and redirected while embedding rocket launchers beside homes, schools, and mosques. Classrooms [43:49] taught children to hate. TV programs glorified martyrdom. A generation was groomed for conflict. [44:02] even as militants hid among families and dared Israel to respond. [44:09] And when Israel did, the images were weaponized to turn world opinion [44:15] against the IDF's effort to dismantle the Hamas machine. That brings us to the UN. [44:24] For years, Israeli officials warned that UNRA and other UN frameworks in Gaza had [44:30] been compromised. Structures meant to be neutral were turning into a shield for Hamas. [44:44] Warehouses and clinics exploited. Schools used for incitement. Payrolls and programs [44:52] infiltrated. Billions flowed into Gaza over the years. Some openly, some under the table. Yet, [45:01] ordinary people are left in want because the priority was never bred. It was bunkers. [45:08] Hamas poured treasure into tunnels and rockets, then seized and redirected aid, [45:15] stockpiled fuel underground, and positioned itself as protector while using civilians [45:22] as human shields. And this strategy has continued throughout the war. [45:32] So yes, there is suffering, but it's the predictable outcome of [45:37] a strategy that treats the population as cover, not as citizens to be served. [46:03] I'm sitting down with someone who saw this arc long before the world did. Brigadier [46:08] General Amir Avivi spent years as a senior IDF commander in and around Gaza. more than [46:16] two decades ago watching the early stages of this buildup. He warned what would happen if Gaza was [46:23] left unchecked. And that's exactly what began after the Oslo Accords signed in 1993. It was [46:32] the first treaty aimed at resolving the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Under this agreement, Israel [46:39] handed over control of the Palestinian areas in Gaza to the newly formed Palestinian Authority, [46:45] hoping it would finally lead to peace. At that time, Israelis and Palestinians were [46:52] still living side by side in Gaza under Israel's control, sharing the same roads and daily spaces. [47:03] General Aviv, it is always great to see you and really for the times we are living in, [47:08] you are the man who has the insights on everything happening right now in the [47:12] region. You spent 30 years in the IDF. You spent time in Gaza, General. So, you know, [47:18] actually the first time I arrived to Gaza was in 1997, but as you know, in 1994, [47:25] Oslo was implemented and this changed everything. We handed the cities in Gaza to the Palestinian [47:34] Authority. We said, "Okay, you guys, you you manage the cities. We're not going in anymore." [47:42] Two years later, 1996, they launched a huge attack on us with the weapons we gave them. [47:52] From the six day war all the way to the early '90s, Gaza was a nonissue. And suddenly in two [48:00] years from 94 to 96 everything changed in the Gaza Strip. And I find myself in 1997 arriving [48:09] to be the combat engineer officer of the Gaza Strip division. And I'm shocked because turns [48:16] out that a minute a minute after we left the cities in Oslo and among other things we left [48:23] Rafak immediately they started digging tunnels from the Gazan side of Rafak to the Egyptian side [48:31] of Rafak and in 2 years we found 35 tunnels on the Philadelphia corridor. 1994 Oslo was [48:41] implemented. 2001 the first rockets were shot on the city of Gerro. 7 years from stones to rockets. [48:52] It took them 7 years to move from the stone age literally to shooting rockets on Israel. [49:03] And we couldn't contain the terror that was emanating from this place. [49:09] And unfortunately 10 years after Oslo, complete loss of control of the Gaza Strip. Complete. [49:21] Did you see Iranian influence even back then? Definitely. At a certain point I was the deputy [49:28] of the core of combat engineers and we were dealing with the issue of improvised explosive [49:33] devices and at that time the US had many casualties in Iraq. So we had many meetings, [49:41] professional meetings trying to understand, you know, this phenomena of IEDs and it didn't take [49:47] a long time to understand that what the US was dealing with in Iraq, what was happening [49:55] in Lebanon, the IEDs in Gaza were all the same. All Iranian, all Iranian know. In the year 2000, [50:05] the second inifada, between 2000 to 2002, they murdered more than 1,400 Israelis. Endless [50:14] amount of attacks of suicide bombers. And we won decisively against them in Operation Defensive [50:24] Shield. And then the logical thing to do was to take the army, go to Gaza and get it over with, [50:30] you know, dismantle the terror infrastructure. Instead of that, one day the chief of staff and [50:35] I were sitting and the secretary comes in and says, "Open the TV. You need to see this." We [50:41] open the TV. We see Prime Minister Shaon saying, "I decided to pull out of Gaza. [50:59] He didn't consult with the army, not with the ministry of defense. And the chief of staff says [51:04] to him, "Mr. Prime Minister, if you pull out of Gaza like that in the middle of a war, you know, [51:09] in one year, one year, Gaza will become Kadastan. This is what's going to happen." You know, [51:19] he decided to move forward with his plans. And one year later, Hamas took over, threw the Palestinian [51:29] Authority, which were were also terrible, okay? But they threw them from the roofs and then with [51:38] weapons and capabilities that were pouring from Egypt into Gaza with a lot of Iranian knowhow and [51:43] specialists, they built a whole city underground. this city of tunnels hundreds and hundreds of [51:50] miles which are like whole buildings underground and they created a reality that the biggest [51:58] strengths of Israel and the IDF was not relevant anymore. We couldn't hit them with the air force [52:05] because it was all underground but also you know inside hospitals and schools and kindergartens. [52:12] So it's not something you can hit and because everything was done underground also not no [52:18] intelligence and this is how they build a huge army you know Hamas on the 7th of October is an [52:24] organization bigger and more organized than all of ISIS. All of ISIS that was fought by international [52:33] coalition for years. Hamas was bigger and stronger and more organized and more equipped. You've been [52:40] warning for years. They're planning. They're planning something. Something big is coming. [52:46] How did Hamas get to the point where it's able to pull this off on October 7th? You know, when [52:52] I retired after 30 years of service, I I I felt, you know, like a deep sense of existential threat. [53:03] So 5 years ago I decided to found IDSF Israel's defense and security forum which is a combination [53:09] of a grassroots movement and think tank. And I can tell you that two years before the war some [53:15] of the leading generals called me and said war is imminent. We are going to a multiffront war and we [53:21] have only two choices or six the war scenario or yonipo scenario. We need to choose. It's either [53:28] we are proactive and we attack first or they are going to attack us and it's going to be a complete [53:34] surprise. On the cover of this assessment, we put a picture of a frog being boiled in a pot. And we [53:42] said this is Israel. 30,000 and if we don't do something, this frog is going to die, you know. [53:48] And we presented it to the former government, to Netanyahu when he was in the opposition, [53:53] to the president of Israel, to the head of Mossad. And what we saw is they are not listening. [54:17] They were thinking um if we just postpone the war more eventually all our enemies will collapse. [54:27] While Israel was thriving the economy was blooming you know they embraced the American way [54:34] of thinking about how America dealt with USSR the idea of containment. Yeah. USSR collapsed without [54:40] one bullet being shot at them. And we said, "Guys, it's not going to happen. They're going to attack [54:44] first." So on the 7th of October, as devastating as this was, this terrible day, on the 7th of [54:56] October, something else happened also. This frog jumped out of the pot. It's not there anymore. [55:05] And it gave us a big big opportunity to change and to end our fate. And this is the message we [55:12] conveyed to the prime minister. We said Mr. Prime Minister, yes, terrible really what happened to [55:18] us, but this is your moment to take advantage of a terrible crisis and lead us to total victory. [55:28] From there, we're going to move to regional and global peace agreements, [55:34] normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia, Malaysia, [55:38] possibly even countries like Lebanon, maybe Syria. Who knows? What should Gaza look like? General, [55:44] the government has said it from day one. The day after Hamas, there will be no Hamas, [55:48] no Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and also not the Palestinian Authority. [55:53] there will be some kind of cantonization of Gaza local leadership based on the local [56:00] clans on the families. So we have to complete the militarization of Gaza and also changing the the [56:11] basic education you know from jihadist education uh to people who actually want to coexist. [56:22] fighting for the West, for the entire free world. That's what Israel is doing. That's what you're [56:27] doing. General, thank you so much. We appreciate it. God bless. My pleasure. Thank you very much. [56:37] In this war, Israel has had to change its playbook. Survival can't hinge on headlines [56:43] or hashtags. The IDF is fighting to win, not to be liked. Because for a nation surrounded by enemies, [56:51] staying alive is the only metric that matters. This is a country that has blessed the world. [56:58] Medicine, water tech, cyber security, disaster relief, a peaceloving nation that would rather [57:04] heal than fight. But when evil targets your children and hides behind its own, you face a [57:12] hard truth. Sometimes you must be tough to be merciful. firm now to spare greater suffering [57:20] later. And here's the larger issue. Hamas didn't act in a vacuum. The Iranian regime bankrolled, [57:31] trained, and guided the machine in Gaza. And as the war unfolded, the pattern snapped into focus. [57:40] Thrron has been building a ring of fire around Israel. Gaza to the south, Hezbollah to the north, [57:48] militias in Syria and Iraq, proxies in Yemen. An Iranianbacked ring of fire aimed at a long war of [57:56] attrition, bleeding Israel day by day, rocket by rocket, hostage by hostage, hoping time and world [58:07] opinion would do what armies couldn't. Those are the stakes. Israel hasn't just been fighting a [58:14] terror group. It's been confronting the architects behind it. Next time we zoom out to the northern [58:21] front, Hezbollah, Iran's strongest proxy, battleh hardened, heavily armed, joined the fight against [58:29] Israel just one day after the October 7th attack. We'll break down their arsenal, their strategy, [58:36] and the choices Israel faced to keep the north from exploding. Stay with us. Hello, this is [58:45] Mati here in Jerusalem with TBN Israel. This is Yay Pinto from TVN Israel. Here in Jerusalem, [58:52] TBN Israel is keeping viewers informed with Israel focused news, culture, and what God [58:57] is doing in this land. Support TBN Israel today online at tbn.org/israel. org/israel. Thank you.
