From Judea and Judea, to Gaza, to Lebanon and back to Judea - Duvdevan fighters never rest for a moment.

Between arrests and complex operations, we managed to catch an officer in the commando unit, who told us about adapting to each arena, the feeling after arresting a squad with a ready-made bomb in a vehicle, and about the misadventures of fighters - secret partners.

"The unit with the name of the fruit," that was its nickname for years, when it was still forbidden to reveal its name. Sometimes it was referred to as the "secret unit," occasionally even as the "IDF's assassination unit," but the message was always clear: Duvdevan is not talked about.

Almost four decades have passed since then, and nowadays it is already permissible to call the unit by its name. Despite this, a cloud of secrecy still surrounds the operations led by its fighters - whether they are in Judea and Samaria, Gaza, or Lebanon. "If we don't hear about what we are doing," one of the officers in Duvdevan tells me clearly, "it means we are doing something good."

When the maneuvers in the Gaza Strip began, one platoon in the unit joined the Givati ​​Special Operations Command, while the other two increased operational activity in Judea and Samaria. "You could say that the two squadrons that remained in the Central Command continued as usual, but in a sector like this, nothing is ever normal, certainly not after October 7," smiles the officer, and he knows very well why: "Our pace of activity, which was already high before the war, increased by several levels. We went from a hundred to two hundred, at least."

The fighters received the order that sent them into combat in the Gaza Strip when they were actually at the height of an operation in Judea and Samaria. "Within 24 hours, we were already in Gaza, and we entered in full force, at the peak of our strength and with all our capabilities," he expands. "We specialize, among other things, in combat in built-up areas. We have tools and capabilities that we have honed over years of operation in a dense environment, and we brought everything with us to Gaza, and later - to Lebanon as well."

"Before we entered the northern sector, we made a 'shift' on a mental level. The feelings in the air were different and all the fighters were alert, because we realized that we were entering a combat scenario that we had not yet had the chance to experience," he recalls, "and then when we entered, we realized that the landscape was not that different and the main difference that we had to adapt to was in the combat doctrine. Thanks to our operational experience, the switch happened smoothly and quickly."

And like in the south and the north, in the Central Command they don't take their foot off the gas for a second. "A few months ago, we foiled a cell that was on its way to carry out an attack," the officer testifies. "They had a bomb in a vehicle and a target with a specific address, but we stopped them. That feeling - there is no other like it."

And in a unit like Duvdevan, such an operation happens every Monday and Thursday. "The last year has been crazy, even for the most veteran fighters. For example, there were weeks when we would go out to make five arrests at night. It's a completely different pace," emphasizes the fighter, "and what strengthens us the most in such a challenging period is the team, which has long since become a family."

"Finally, when I have fighters that I can say one word to and they already understand exactly what I want, it changes reality, and makes every operation much simpler," he shares, "They are with me in the most interesting and most complex moments of life."

"More than once or twice we have prepared for an activity in an Israeli community in Judea and Samaria, and after the activity we returned to that community," he concludes, "and no matter how tired we are, when we see the children there running in the street, and realize that we are guarding them - no one is happier than us."

And for the new recruits who are about to join the ranks of Duvdevan, he has only one message: "You are facing a difficult path, but always remember that there is no better feeling than waking up in the morning and knowing that you gave everything you have so that the people of the country can live their lives with a real sense of security."