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(https://rumcdn.geoedge.be/f7ae3efe-f9e8-44be-8cf9-3b564afd5f4b/grumi-ip.js)  (https://widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js)  (https://btloader.com/tag?o=5119785225420800&upapi=true)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-T4BJGTM)   (../../manifest.json)  (../../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-16.png)  (../../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-32.png)  (../../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-192.png)  (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-180.png)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js)  IDF reserve battalion commander recalls Gaza battle lessons | The Jerusalem Post      (article-907028.html)                     (Jerusalem Post) (https://www.jpost.com/) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News)    (CONFERENCES) (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) CONFERENCES  (ISRAEL NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news) ISRAEL NEWS  (WORLD NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/international) WORLD NEWS  (MIDDLE EAST) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) MIDDLE EAST  (BUSINESS & INNOVATION) (https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation) BUSINESS & INNOVATION  (DEFENSE & TECH) (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (OPINION) (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  (JP STORE) (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE   (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login    (Search) ()           (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login (https://payments.jpost.com/paywall/paywallpersonaldetails) Subscribe    (https://www.jpost.com/magazineprint/digitallibrary) JPOST DIGITAL LIBRARY  (https://www.jpost.com/) HOME PAGE  (https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report) THE JERUSALEM REPORT  (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/education) JPOST HIGHER EDUCATION  (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  BUSINESS & INNOVATION      (https://realestate.jpost.com/) REAL ESTATE LISTINGS  (https://www.jpost.com/aliyah) ALIYAH  (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) JERUSALEM POST CONFERENCE  PREMIUM      (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE  Categories  ISRAEL NEWS      WORLD NEWS      MIDDLE EAST      (https://www.jpost.com/american-politics) US POLITICS  DIASPORA      (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  PODCAST      JUDAISM      (https://www.jpost.com/kabbalah) KABBALAH  CHRISTIAN WORLD      HEALTH & WELLNESS      (https://www.jpost.com/science) SCIENCE  (https://www.jpost.com/law) LAW  ARCHAEOLOGY      (https://www.jpost.com/omg) OMG  (https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change) ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE  (https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes) FOOD & RECIPES  (https://www.jpost.com/history) HISTORY   (https://www.jpost.com/special-content) SPONSORED CONTENT  (https://www.jpost.com/advertise) ADVERTISE WITH US  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/termsofservice.aspx) TERMS OF USE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/privacypolicy.aspx) PRIVACY POLICY  (https://www.jpost.com/contactus) CONTACT US  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service/cancel-subscription) CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service) CUSTOMER SERVICE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/aboutus.aspx) ABOUT US       (https://www.jpost.com/) Jerusalem Post /  (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news) Israel News /  (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news) Defense News   Sniper bullet nearly hit him, now he commands battalion built after Oct. 7 failures - interview Lt.-Col. (res.) Eli Zilberman describes the establishment of the Tzuri Battalion, its operations in the Benjamin Brigade sector, and the lessons learned from the October 7 attack.  (Share)         (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google     (The Tzuri Battalion aimed to help address the IDF's deep shortcomings.) (The Tzuri Battalion aimed to help address the IDF's deep shortcomings.)   The Tzuri Battalion aimed to help address the IDF's deep shortcomings. (photo credit: IDF spokesperson's Unit/Via Walla )    By (https://www.jpost.com/author/amir-bohbot) AMIR BOHBOT    AUGUST 30, 2026 15:37   "I almost got hit," Lt.-Col. (res.) Eli Zilberman told Walla in a Saturday interview, where he recalled one of the first operations the (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-907017) IDF had in northern Gaza at the beginning of the war with Hamas in November 2023.    During the operation, the 162nd Division maneuvered toward Hamas' "security square" as part of the breaching of the defensive walls of Gaza City. The operation concluded with the IDF finding a complex that included an extensive system of tunnels for the movement of operatives and the escape of senior officials, data banks, workshops for the production of weapons, and a command-and-control center for the entire Strip.    "This was one of the IDF's first battles in the northern Gaza Strip," Zilberman recalled. "We entered one of the most difficult areas for fighting, with an unimaginable number of terrorists. There, for the first time, the commanders were required to maneuver in alleys and a nearby school in face-to-face battles. We quickly realized we were in a different kind of war, and that it would be long."   The tensest moment came when he left the control room where he was staying to precisely aim the operator of a remotely controlled aircraft. Within dozens of seconds, a sniper spotted him and fired a bullet at him, which hit just centimeters from his body.   "I jumped back into the control room and was really angry with myself: 'How irresponsible you are. You're 36 years old, and you act like a little kid who wants to see everything from the outside, without really remembering the amount of responsibility on your shoulders and the family at home, things that should make you much sharper,'" he explained.    (Lt.-Col. (res.) Eli Zilberman.)  Lt.-Col. (res.) Eli Zilberman. (credit: IDF spokesperson's Unit/Via Walla)    Building a new reserve force after October 7  The intense fighting continued across all fronts. Zilberman continued contributing as a commander and fighter in various arenas, while General Staff investigations continued. Those reviews revealed nothing beyond what had already become clear: the IDF lacked sufficient regular and reserve combat manpower, particularly readily available forces capable of responding to sudden events.  On (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-906558) October 7 , the IDF faced a gap of tens of thousands of armed personnel who could quickly reach the Gaza border, organize into companies and battalions, repel the Hamas attack to prevent the massacre and the abduction of hundreds of Israelis from communities near the border, and stabilize the breached frontier.   To help address the deep shortcomings exposed by that day, Zilberman was called upon in 2025 to establish the Tzuri Battalion for the first time. The move was part of a broader General Staff plan led by Brig.-Gen. Oren Simcha to establish “David” brigades, in an effort to reduce the gap in combat manpower.  The IDF’s expanding reserve forces became a central issue after October 7, as the military worked to strengthen its ability to respond quickly to emerging threats.   The General Staff project became an unexpected success story. It recruited (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-907009) reserve fighters who were no longer assigned to combat formations, alongside volunteers who had completed their military service years earlier.  Since then, more than 20 reserve battalions have been established at varying levels of readiness, based on soldiers who keep personal weapons, rifles, and protective gear in a home safe. This dramatically shortens response times in emergency scenarios.  Their primary purpose is to serve as light, mobile reserve forces capable of providing a flexible and rapid response to emerging threats, preventing terrorist infiltrations, and defending borders and areas deep inside the country, with each battalion assigned a predetermined operational plan and sector.  Amid the activity of commanders and fighters in the Maccabim area, Zilberman said this week: “The process of establishing the battalion began about two years ago. This is the first time we have all gathered together as a full battalion, not for training, but for full operational deployment in defense and offense under the Benjamin Regional Brigade, with all the complexities that this sector brings.”  At first, the battalion was met with considerable skepticism in the Judea and Samaria Division, with doubts over whether it could fulfill the complex mission assigned to it: protecting the seam line over 50 km. and creating a defensive belt around the city of Modi’in and additional communities.  However, as time passed and results accumulated, Central Command decided to expand the battalion’s authority and assign it offensive missions, including arrests, security operations, searches in complex areas and, at the peak, battalion-level operations.  From emergency response to nightly operations  “This is happening, in my view, at one of the most important milestones a battalion can reach during its establishment,” Zilberman said. “I joined the establishment process while I was still in the middle of fighting in Gaza. It was like a wave and ripples: I recruited a deputy battalion commander, and from there everything developed step by step. Everyone contributed and recruited friends.”  “And then something amazing happened: Through the ‘friend brings a friend’ method, a full battalion was created, with all the positions and administrative structure. There are fighters here from all infantry brigades, the best of the best.”  Reserve soldiers have played a key role in Israel’s wartime mobilization, with thousands returning to active duty as the IDF has expanded operations across multiple fronts.  Almost every night, the battalion carries out offensive activity in Palestinian villages, including arresting wanted suspects and searching areas to locate weapons and dual-use equipment used for terrorism.  “Like in the Gaza Strip, defense here does not happen from the gate line, but beyond the fence lines, with the goal of keeping any danger away from roads and communities,” the battalion commander said.  The battalion’s achievements include more than 10 arrests, the capture of more than 100 infiltrators, 30 of whom were transferred to prison, close cooperation with intelligence elements, the discovery of weapons, including IDF uniforms found in a Palestinian home, and three battalion-level operations in friction points.  The IDF has repeatedly emphasized the importance of preventing terrorist attacks before they reach Israeli communities, particularly in areas near vulnerable borders and population centers.  Zilberman said the motivation of the fighters remains the battalion’s most important asset.  “You cannot point to one specific thing and say where it comes from. Maybe it is the significance of this moment and the importance of the mission, and the desire to take part in this difficult war since October 7,” he said.  Asked what his battalion would have done at 6:29 a.m. on (https://www.jpost.com/tags/the-october-7-massacre) October 7 if it had existed then, Zilberman answered:  “It would have immediately assembled from home, and within 15 minutes received a point where it needed to begin moving forward, with the weapon and vest located in his safe. A lightning battalion that knows how to do exactly what we were so desperate for on October 7: for forces to organize into an orderly framework that provides a rapid response within the country’s borders.”  Toward the end of the interview, Zilberman spoke about the families supporting the reserve fighters.  “Without the genuine support at home, among each and every one of the reservists, we would not have been able to maintain the level of security that exists today in Israel. These families deserve to be saluted every day. They are exceptional among the exceptional, and this is something the people of Israel must always remember.”     See more on (https://www.jpost.com/tags/gaza) Gaza |  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/idf) IDF |  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/idf-soldiers) IDF Soldiers |  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/reservists) reservists |  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/idf-reserves) IDF reserves |  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/the-october-7-massacre) The October 7 Massacre |  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/gaza-war) Gaza war    (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google           Related Articles (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-907076) (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.) (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.)  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