Reservists of the Israel Defense Forces’ 8110th “Yoav” Infantry Battalion recently celebrated the bar mitzvah of their commander during military operations in Rafah in southern Gaza.
The commander, who had gotten engaged a few days earlier, had never celebrated his bar mitzvah, so the troops decided to surprise him and mark the occasion at a makeshift synagogue, Arutz 7 reported on Thursday.
During the ceremony, the bar mitzvah boy was called to the Torah and recited the blessings for before and after the reading of the portion for the first time in his life.
“It was very special and deeply moving,” one of the soldiers told Arutz 7. “There’s nothing more symbolic than celebrating the joy of a groom, right here in Gaza during Operation Gideon’s Chariots.”
In the first weeks of the war, sparked by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 people in southern Israel, IDF soldiers held a mezuzah-hanging ceremony after they took Al-Azhar University in Gaza City.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers prayed at a sixth-century synagogue for the first time in decades. Michael Freund, founder and chairman of the Shavei Israel NGO, tweeted that “Israeli soldiers prayed in the ancient synagogue in Gaza which was built in the 6th century and where a beautiful mosaic floor depicting King David was unearthed years ago.”
“Jews have returned to Gaza!!” he added.
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces announced the official start of the ground phase of the expanded military operation to vanquish Hamas.
“Over the past 24 hours, forces of the IDF’s Southern Command, both regular and reserve, have started a large-scale ground operation across the northern and southern Gaza Strip as part of the beginning of Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” the military said in a statement.
“So far, the forces have eliminated dozens of terrorists, destroyed terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground, and are now taking control of strategic areas within the Strip,” the army continued.
“The IDF will continue to operate against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip as necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” it said.
