Truth from the Front Lines: Gaza Through the Eyes of an IDF Officer
Translation of the recent Facebook post by Max Lurye (https://www.facebook.com/maks.lur.e/posts/pfbid0FGkabB5jAcZL3As3LsoT2Ry9mHvitn1d7CFHRQvVzjqhmNxuJERyd28zMjaALJqxl)
In the shadow of one of the darkest chapters in recent Jewish history, this deeply personal reflection by an IDF officer captures not only the anguish of war but the moral clarity with which many Israelis have confronted it. For those who know Israel—not just through headlines, but through its history, its land, and its people—these words ring painfully true. Since the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023, Israel has endured unimaginable loss, facing a brutal enemy with a conscience rooted in ancient values. This is not merely a soldier’s testimony—it is a window into the soul of a small nation fighting not just for survival, but to remain human in the face of inhumanity.
Max Lurye
10 July at 12:30
This was written by an IDF officer who can only be referred to by the initial A. He reflects on Gaza, where he and his fellow soldiers have spent nearly 400 days.
In brief, the essence of the letter is captured in this phrase:
“Our future does not depend on what non-Jews say. Our future depends on what Jews do.”
It is both a response to every question—and a prophecy.
Here are a few fragments from this letter, published in the Israeli media on 11 July. (Subheadings and a few explanatory clarifications were added by me for readability, but I’ve stayed true to the original meaning.)
About Myself
I was born into a Jewish Zionist1 family. My grandmother and grandfather fought for Israel’s independence. So did my father.
I lived on a kibbutz, grew up in a religious settlement, and studied in a yeshiva2 for some time.
I served as an officer in combat units, and I now continue in the reserves. Since 7 October 2023, I’ve spent almost all my time on the front line.
On the Fighting in Gaza
Combat in Gaza is among the most difficult in the world. The enemy we face resembles a wild beast—his deceit has no parallel in human nature.
We strive to uphold principles of justice and morality in a place where such values are utterly absent.
This enemy is a shapeshifter. He spends most of his time without a weapon or uniform. He hides weapons beneath his child’s bed and retrieves them only before an attack. He does everything possible to be indistinguishable from civilians.
He places his command centres in schools and hospitals. This cynical and brutal strategy forces the IDF to take unprecedented precautions to avoid harming civilians—not currently engaged in combat.
We sacrifice operational advantage, forfeit the element of surprise, and risk our own lives to preserve theirs.
Such is this “exclusive genocide.”
Is There a Civilian Population in Gaza?
I have no illusions about the residents of Gaza. The enemy’s greatest weapon isn’t the machine gun, missile, or bomb. His most powerful weapon is the suffering and death of his own people.
I also have no illusions about the peacefulness of Gaza’s population. I’m certain that if not every person, then nearly every person there would gladly slit the throat of any Jew if given the chance.
That, in fact, is what happened on the horrific day of 7 October.
Visit any school and look at the walls, covered with graffiti glorifying terrorist murderers—filled with hate.
Everywhere, you’ll see scenes of Jewish families being slaughtered—babies in strollers, elderly with walkers.
This is the “education” with which this satanic cult reproduces itself: degenerates, killers, wild beasts.
On Vengeance and Morality
Perhaps if some other army were in our place, Gaza would have ceased to exist long ago.
But we are guided by principles of justice and morality, engraved in our books and our hearts:
“Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor sons for their fathers; each shall be put to death for their own sin.”3
From Abraham, our forefather, to the prophet Ezekiel, the people of Israel have followed this path.
For principles of justice and morality do not require justification to those who were first commanded to walk in them—and to pass them on to others.
War Is Where People Die
War is not a ball at a finishing school for noble ladies. In war, people are killed.
In a war for survival, even more so.
Every enemy eliminated brings us closer to operational goals and improves our own chances of survival.
I spent nearly a year in Gaza.
And in no known case was fire opened on unarmed individuals with the aim to kill.
There has never been—and never could be—a situation where the IDF called people to come receive food just to shoot them.
Such a thing might occur to Hamas murderers.
Such a thing might occur to their information agents (pro-Palestinian groups, media, etc.).
But never to Israelis. And certainly not to the moral path of the IDF.
On Shooting Unarmed People—Again, Slowly
I want this to be crystal clear:
These words were not written in passing. They are based on reliable information, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
So once more:
In no known case was fire opened on unarmed individuals with the aim of killing.
No one wanted those people to die.
Could there have been mistakes? Yes. There are mistakes in every war.
Anyone who denies this distorts our moral heritage.
Our own soldiers also die from mistakes—from friendly fire.
King Saul, in a moment of madness, killed the priests of Nob.4
King David was seconds away from a bloodbath—had Abigail not restrained his anger.5
We are fighting a cruel enemy—one of the cruelest the Jewish people have ever known.
But we will not let him succeed.
We will not be driven from our path.
Who Determines the Future?
These words are addressed to Jewish hearts and to the citizens of Israel—not to strangers trying to judge and condemn us.
Our future does not depend on what non-Jews say.
Our future depends on what Jews do.
So let it be said with pride and clarity:
We are fighting.
We will win.
עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה כִּי יָכוֹל נוּכַל לָהּ (Let's go, let's go, for we can overcome her.)6 - said the Jews who saw the land that was commanded to us. For words that come from the heart enter the heart.
Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have the right to self-determination and a national homeland in the Land of Israel.
Yeshiva is a traditional Jewish religious school where students, often young men, study sacred texts such as the Torah and Talmud, focusing on religious law, ethics, and philosophy.
Book of Deuteronomy (Devarim) 24:16 in the Hebrew Bible.
This principle of individual responsibility also appears in Ezekiel 18, reinforcing the ethical foundation of justice in Jewish tradition.
Book of 1 Samuel (Shmuel Alef), Chapter 22 in the Hebrew Bible.
First Book of Samuel (1 Samuel), Chapter 25 in the Hebrew Bible.
Book of Numbers (במדבר), Chapter 13, verse 30 in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).
This verse is often cited as a declaration of courage, faith, and moral clarity in the face of fear and doubt. In the context of modern Israel, it's sometimes used to affirm the strength and resilience of the Jewish people when confronting existential challenges.