Preventing another October 7: A look into the daily life of Israel's border soldiers

Vigilance is essential for soldiers stationed at border crossings, especially given that, among the tens of thousands of people arriving at checkpoints every day, some will be attempting to cross illegally, noted an interview with IDF soldiers on Wednesday. 

One second of inattention could lead to infiltration of a hostile party or illegal resident with the intention of harming Israeli citizens, said the soldiers.

During the interview, a checkpoint soldier, Sgt. Major Omer Yahav detected suspicious activity at the tunnel checkpoint leading to Jerusalem and ordered a vehicle to be stopped. 

"To be a crossing fighter is to stand at a checkpoint around the clock, in any weather, at any time of the day, and with constant vigilance," said Sgt. Major Yahav.

Private Maayan Peretz, a soldier in the company, added: "You know how the day starts - but not how it will end or what you will face during the shift. You see everything here - money smuggling, illegal immigrants, and illegal residents."

At the checkpoint

The IDF established the police force's border crossing unit in 2004, following a wave of terrorism during the second intifada. Checkpoints were created to supervise critical areas and thwart terrorist attacks, said the IDF.

“At the end of the day, IDF soldiers are the ones who decide who goes through the checkpoint and who doesn't,” continued Peretz.

“In a few seconds, they must distinguish whether an entrance permit is fake or whether the person in the picture is not the one sitting in front of them. This includes 24/7 searches inside vehicles or during security checks."

The soldiers said they have seen a sharp increase in smuggling attempts since October 7. At the checkpoint at the Jerusalem entrance, the two soldiers interviewed have foiled several terrorist infiltrations in the last months alone.

Peretz and Yahav said they stopped a suspicious vehicle at the checkpoint on November 17. When they went to inspect it, three terrorists inside opened fire. The terrorists were killed by the soldiers, police, and Border Police. A large quantity of ammunition was found in their vehicle, preventing what could have been a major attack in Jerusalem, said the IDF.

Corporal Avraham Patna, one of the checkpoint soldiers who defended against the terrorists, was killed in the incident.

In a separate incident on March 13, Sergeant Yahav and Private Peretz saw a young man riding an electric bicycle who they thought looked suspicious. 

"I stopped him," she told the interviewer, "but he pulled out a knife and started stabbing me.”

The other soldiers acted quickly and killed the terrorist in under a minute. 

Peretz returned to service after a month and a half. She calls her unit a family and says they embraced her on her return.

On May 12, a private ambulance was stopped a Ofer checkpoint by Magav soldiers. The driver and his assistant, dressed as medical personnel, claimed they were responding to an emergency call but resisted routine checks such as providing ID. On inspection, the Border Police found eight Palestinians hidden inside the ambulance. 

Since the start of the war, Border soldiers have intercepted over 1000 weapons, over 4000 illegal residents, 150 impersonators, and 2000 on suspicion of aiding terrorists, said the IDF.

Extensive training

The soldiers stressed attention to detail, as they must notice suspicious signs in vehicles, fake IDs, and people themselves.

To prepare for this, they undergo basic combat training, advanced training, and certification as military police officers at the Bahad military base. This includes physical fitness training and courses on reading body language.

“I didn't really understand the role, and then I got here and found out how significant our work is," said private Peretz. 

Major Gen. Yahav added: "When we know we prevented a major threat from entering Israeli territory and harming the residents - that is satisfaction.”

The Jerusalem Post contacted a soldier for comment who wished to remain anonymous. "It's a lot of responsibility to see which vehicle or person will have killing intentions (sic)," he said. "If you let someone pass who has a gun and goes on to kill someone, you will feel guilt for the rest of your life."