{"id":20033,"date":"2025-04-18T11:39:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T08:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=20033"},"modified":"2025-04-18T13:53:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T10:53:21","slug":"the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"The Untold Combat Rescue That Forged an Unbreakable Bond"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just over a year ago, Anton and Yarden were strangers serving in the same elite Givati unit. But one night in the heart of Gaza\u2019s Abasan neighborhood in Khan Younis, as flames filled the rooms and death passed between them, something extraordinary was born: a bond forged in blood.<\/p>\n

The Battle Inside the Abasan Neighborhood<\/strong>
\n\u201cThis isn’t a regular friendship,\u201d says Yarden. \u201cIt was born in the worst moment imaginable – lying on the floor, staring death in the face.\u201d
\nThe two spoke in a special interview for the IDF Spokesperson\u2019s site.<\/p>\n

It began on February 24, 2024. Givati\u2019s reconnaissance unit was operating deep in Abasan as part of the ground campaign in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were clearing the area, setting up positions, and all of us were huddled in a single room for the night to minimize movement,\u201d Anton recalls.
\nThen\u2014he saw feet beneath a couch. \u201cBefore I could react, I was shot at point-blank range.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Wounded IDF forces operating in Gaza | Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe jumped to his position, returned fire\u2014and was hit immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA burst of gunfire hit both my legs. It also struck my ceramic vest\u2014that\u2019s what saved me,\u201d Anton says. \u201cI fell straight into the room, and then there was this moment of silence. Everyone realized\u2014it wasn\u2019t me shooting. I\u2019d been shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The battle began. Staff Sgt. Neriya Balta z\u201dl was the first to respond. \u201cHe jumped into position, shot back\u2014and was immediately hit,\u201d Anton remembers.
\nTen minutes of relentless firefight followed. The commander called for reinforcements.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I could think about was Anton\u201d<\/strong>
\nYarden, part of the arriving reinforcements, describes the moment: \u201cSmoke was everywhere. Zero visibility. You couldn’t see one meter ahead. But all I\u2019m thinking about is Anton\u2014what he\u2019s going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I hear him screaming from a corner. I asked for permission to jump in. I knew it was either go in\u2014or leave him behind. No middle ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s bleeding, I\u2019m bleeding\u2014but he keeps squeezing my hand\u201d<\/strong>
\n

\"\"
Our Forces Operating in Gaza | Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Yarden found Anton lying on the ground. “I put on a tourniquet, moved him to a safer spot. He\u2019s bleeding, I\u2019m bleeding\u2014but he kept squeezing my hand every three seconds. That\u2019s what kept me awake,\u201d says Yarden.<\/p>\n

Then\u2014an explosion occurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cGas! Gas!\u201d someone shouted.<\/strong>
\nA bullet had struck a gas tank in the kitchen, creating a fireball that raced across the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYarden just lay down on top of me like a blanket\u2014to shield me with his body,\u201d Anton says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly when I felt shrapnel in my neck did I realize I was hit too,\u201d adds Yarden. \u201cI knew if I closed my eyes\u2014I wouldn\u2019t wake up. I stayed conscious by sheer willpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three Days in a Coma<\/strong>
\nBoth were evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Medical Center, along with their company commander, who was also severely injured. They remained in a coma for three days. When Yarden met Anton\u2019s father in the hospital hallway, he asked, \u2018Are you Yarden?\u2019 and hugged me like I was his own son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Anton and Yarden at the hospital | Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit
<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nNow, Inseparable<\/strong>
\nToday, Anton and Yarden are closer than brothers. Both bear a shared tattoo of two ravens\u2014in memory of their fallen brothers-in-arms: Staff Sgt. Neriya Balta and Staff Sgt. Ido Zaryan z\u201dl.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were a team of warriors,\u201d Anton says. \u201cEveryone gave something that night. Without Ido and Neriya\u2014we wouldn\u2019t be here. Yarden gave me life. I\u2019d give him mine if it were the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hearts are still in that cursed room in Abasan,\u201d they say. \u201cAnd from there\u2014we only rise. Together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, the story of a Givati soldier who was seriously wounded in Gaza and rescued under fire by a fellow fighter he didn’t even know, was publicized. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":20034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,88],"tags":[4353,1476,3163,1477,1816,4236,1480,4296],"class_list":["post-20033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idf","category-will-remember","tag-brothers-in-combat","tag-gaza","tag-givati-brigade","tag-hamas","tag-heroism","tag-idf-soldiers","tag-israel","tag-khan-younis"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Untold Combat Rescue That Forged an Unbreakable Bond - REGA news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Untold Combat Rescue That Forged an Unbreakable Bond\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently, the story of a Givati soldier who was seriously wounded in Gaza and rescued under fire by a fellow fighter he didn't even know, was publicized.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"REGA news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-18T08:39:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-18T10:53:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/antonrescue.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"711\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"By Shimon Levi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"By Shimon Levi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"By Shimon Levi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/4d7bc34deb63b02173f4b03d0273ec11\"},\"headline\":\"The Untold Combat Rescue That Forged an Unbreakable Bond\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-18T08:39:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-18T10:53:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/\"},\"wordCount\":666,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/antonrescue.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"brothers in combat\",\"Gaza\",\"Givati Brigade\",\"Hamas\",\"Heroism\",\"IDF Soldiers\",\"Israel\",\"Khan Younis\"],\"articleSection\":[\"IDF\",\"REMEMBERING\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/the-untold-combat-rescue-that-forged-an-unbreakable-bond\/\",\"name\":\"The Untold Combat Rescue That Forged an Unbreakable Bond - 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