Before soldiers from the 969th Battalion accompanied our group of three reporters through the Erez Crossing and into the Gaza Strip on Thursday, massive explosions could be seen and heard just over the border fence. Large plumes of layered smoke could be seen from the base where the soldiers picked us up in their armored vehicles.

Soldiers dropped us off at a critical location for the IDF. Located between two northern Gazan cities, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, it is used as a lookout point for the top half of the enclave and nearly all of the Israeli border area. The battalion fights against this backdrop, with the memory of Oct. 7 ever present as they overlook kibbutzim that were ransacked and massacred by the Hamas-led terrorists.

“We can see here Beit Hanoun and if we look beyond Beit Hanoun, we can see [Kibbutz] Kfar Aza, and if we continue, we can see [Kibbutz] Nahal Oz,” said Lt. Col. (res.) T., commander of the battalion, who remains anonymous for safety and operational purposes. “Every soldier here can see what he is protecting, he can see the communities, and he knows what he is protecting them from.”