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Keith Isaacson: ‘It was the worst day since the beginning of the state of Israel. It has been the hardest time of my life.’
By Shula Rosen, United with Israel
On October 7, 2023, the deadliest day in Israel’s history, two Brothers from South Africa, Brett and Keith Isaacson, bravely fought terrorists on October 7 and saved thousands of lives.
Brett (54) and Keith (58) made aliyah with their families in 1975, worked on a kibbutz in Southern Israel, and served in the IDF.
The attack on October 7 came entirely by surprise and changed their lives.
“It was the worst day since the beginning of the state of Israel. It has been the hardest time of my life,” Keith told the Jewish Report.
Both brothers, who live in Moshav Sde Nitzan, thought it would be a typical day as Keith was out looking for workers to help him out that day.
Keith heard the missiles, phoned his commander, and, as a reserve member of the Givati Brigade, headed for duty, swapping his truck for a bulletproof white Toyota.
Since he was driving a vehicle similar to those used by the terrorists, he at first managed to escape Hamas until they realized he was Israeli and began firing at him.
Keith managed to get to the Eshkol Municipality offices, where he spent the next three days engaged in operational control of the region, coordinating with the IDF and their forces, the Ministry of Defense, the Homefront Command, and the police.
At the same time, his brother Brett spent hours fighting off terrorists at the Mivtahim Junction before they could reach the kibbutzim.
With scant supplies of ammunition and no idea when the IDF would arrive to provide support, Brett and a few others held out against hundreds of terrorists.
Unfortunately, terrorists invaded the Kibbutzim from behind, but not before Brett and others had held their ground and the junction for four hours.
“More than 216 people in my Eshkol region, including the communities of Kibbutzim Be’eri and Nir Oz, were killed, 160 were injured, 30 were orphaned, more than 300 houses were destroyed and burnt, 16 of my communities out of 32 were attacked that day, 33 of my reservists were killed, and many dozens were taken hostage and still remain in Gaza. It’s difficult to comprehend,” he told the newspaper.
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