Lt. Col. Yossi Levi, the IDF’s first ultra-Orthodox battalion commander, recently shared a moving and unexpected story on his social media—a powerful account of healing and connection between Gaza border residents and the Netzah Yehuda Battalion.
In the wake of the October 7 massacre, trust in the IDF among residents of the Gaza Envelope was badly shaken. Anger surged through the kibbutzim, and many declared: no IDF soldier would be allowed to set foot in their communities. At this low point, the army made a bold choice—to send the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion into the heart of the region. What began with fierce opposition ended in a statement few could have imagined.
Trust Was Broken
The battalion was first stationed along the northern Gaza border, before taking part in deep combat inside the Strip, including missions in Beit Hanoun and northern Gaza. When one kibbutz’s chief security officer (Ravshatz) learned that the ultra-Orthodox battalion was being deployed nearby, he didn’t hold back. “It won’t happen,” he told a former officer he had served with. But despite the resistance, the soldiers arrived.
Watch: Netzah Yehuda soldiers operating in northern Gaza
Residents Began to Feel Safe
Day by day, quietly and without ceremony, a connection began to grow between the soldiers in black kippot and the kibbutz residents—people still carrying the emotional weight of October 7. At a ceremony marking the transition to a new battalion commander, the same Ravshatz approached the officer and asked, “So, how are things now?”
The reply surprised even him:
“I can tell you this—when other soldiers were here, the kibbutz didn’t want anything to do with them. But since Netzah arrived, I don’t know exactly why—but the residents feel safe.”
ואם לסכם את הדברים שלו, אז מה יותר טוב ממכתב פרידה של רבש״ץ ״מפלסים״, (לא אותו חבר שהזכרתי),
שמצהיר:
״אני אהיה השגריר שלכם לעולמים!״פשוט מצמרר. pic.twitter.com/EHRlV5tjXa
— יוסי לוי | Yossi Levi (@yossilevii) March 30, 2025
