This is not the first time that Itamar Revivo has stepped out of his tailored, council head suit and rushed forward towards the battlefield to protect the residents of the Ashkelon Coast Council, which he heads. During Operation Guardian of the Walls, that preceded the Iron Swords War, he found himself evacuating the wounded under rocket fire. On the morning of Saturday, October 7, Itamar awoke to the sound of sirens blaring throughout the area. Instead of entering the safe room with his family, he hurried out towards the settlements under his jurisdiction . On his way, Itamar was informed of shooting on Moshav Netiv Ha’asara, at the council’s southernmost point. Instead of turning back, he hurried to equip himself with a vest and a weapon and bravely joined up with the moshav’s rapid response team.
Together, few against many, they spread out on the access road surrounding the settlement, firing at the terrorists and preventing them from entering.
Now, they needed to find a way to enter the moshav and protect the residents. The terrorists had already broken into the moshav , where the neighbours were still waiting for the army to arrive. Unfortunately, the terrorists had damaged the electrical infrastructure. Moshav Netiv Ha’asara was dark and the electric gate was locked. Itamar and his friends were determined to turn on the lights! With great resourcefulness they were able to dislodge the gate and break through. Another obstacle had been removed, and for a moment you could hear a sigh of relief. Itamar and his comrades in arms did not stop.
Inside the moshav, Itamar and Itai, a resident of the settlement, worked together. The rockets were falling, the sounds of gunfire were heard all around. Itamar and Itai did not give up. They went from house to house, evacuating the wounded to a safe place outside the moshav. Everytime they evacuated a wounded person, they went back into the moshav to rescue more injured civilians.
Thanks to their courage, they saved the lives of fifteen people.
When the adrenaline subsided and as the war continued, Itamar entered Gaza to accompany the soldiers. "We are proud of you!" He told them. "You are performing an important activity here for the people of Israel and for Zionism."
Itamar cannot leave the battlefield; he understood that sometimes you have to join the fighting forces and sometimes you just have to say kind words. Words are as bright and powerful as weapons.
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