Younger sisters of two observers murdered on Oct. 7 enlist to the IDF on the same day
Both girls said that they thought their big sisters would be proud of them, and the watches they inherited will help them remember to keep in touch with their parents in the weeks ahead.
It should have been a joyful day, full of pride, as two young women who became friends during the past year joined the army on the same day recently to start a course to become infantry instructors.The two girls, Yuval and Yael, their faces filled with anticipation, both with long brown hair, looked at each other as they hugged their families goodbye, but there was a wistfulness about the scene because each girl was missing her older sister.
The fresh-faced recruits were Yuval Marciano, the sister of Noa Marciano z’’l, who, among the border observers, was kidnapped from her base at Nahal Oz and whose body was later found in Gaza, and Yael Eshel, the sister of Roni Eshel z’’l, who was murdered at Nahal Oz and whose body was only identified after five weeks.A Keshet 12 news feature that aired Saturday night highlighted the difficult decision of Yuval and Yael to join the army despite the horrific deaths of their beloved older sisters. Fifteen of these unarmed female Nahal Oz border observers were killed that day in their base after the handful of armed soldiers left to defend them were murdered and overpowered. Seven of the border observers were kidnapped to Gaza, where Noa Marciano was murdered and one, Ori Megidish, was rescued. Five of them – Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy – are still being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.When there is an official commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack, the failure to defend the border observers at Nahal Oz will be one of the most important issues. Footage taken by Hamas and released on Israeli media last May showed that the terrorists were relaxed and unhurried enough to pray over the bloodied bodies of the dead and living border observers. It took hours for help from the IDF to arrive, help which came much too late.
Parents struggle to accept daughters' decision
No one could have blamed Yael and Yuval if they had decided not to enlist in the army, certainly not their parents, who are shown struggling to accept their younger daughters’ decision. Yuval’s father, Avi Marciano, said in the report, “It's not easy. We have had a bitter experience with the army. On the one hand, we want to let her fulfill herself; on the other hand, we are afraid for her.” Adi Marciano, Yuval’s mother, admitted, “Washing a uniform again will be the hardest for me.”Asked whether she feels excited to see Yael joining the IDF, Yael’s mother, Sharon Eshel, said, “I'm not excited. I'm sad. Sometimes, it feels like the binding of Isaac. I've been trying to convince her all year not to enlist. Even yesterday, I told her, 'It's not too late to change your mind, don't enlist.'"Eyal Eshel, Roni, and Yael’s father said, "I didn't tell her not to enlist. I think this is her life. I think it's a journey that everyone has to go through, even through all our grief and bereavement, but this time it's with zero trust… And I say this with great sadness, truly."Yael and Yuval became friendly when their mothers were united in grief following the October 7 attack, and their bond intensified when they joined a delegation from Friends of the IDF to the US to tell their loved ones’ stories.
It’s no surprise that the two became close. “We have the same mindset. We’ve been through almost exactly the same story, so we understand each other,” said Yael.
Despite all they have endured, neither seriously considered opting out of their army service. "I think everyone should give of themselves somehow, no matter what they've been through,” said Yuval.
The two girls met up shortly before their enlistment day and went shopping together at the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv to buy supplies, which could not have been a more typical pre-army experience. But instead of buying new earrings or getting ice cream after they made their pre-army purchases, they walked to another destination five minutes away from the mall – Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, a plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which has become a center for the vigils of hostage families and a center for exhibits commemorating the hostages and those murdered. On the day of their shopping trip, there was an exhibit commemorating the border observers, with their desks and computers recreated but painted yellow. Audio of their last desperate communications with headquarters was played, including one by Roni, in which, in a deceptively calm voice, she reported on the dozens of armed terrorists taking over the base. “I've heard this recording many times, it's crazy. It's hard," said Yael, and the sadness in her eyes made the unfathomable grief and trauma her family has experienced during the last year slightly clearer. It was easy to understand Yuval when she described the past year of mourning and said she thought it would do the two of them good to be out of the house and not have to see their mothers crying all day.
Both of them chose to take a single object with them on their army service that remained from each of their sisters: Roni and Noa each left behind a watch. Said Yuval, “I feel her in my heart, in my soul, it's not just this watch, I feel her even without the watch.” Both girls said that they thought their big sisters would be proud of them, and the watches they inherited will help them remember to keep in touch with their worried parents in the weeks and months ahead.
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