What It’s Like to Lead a Tank Crew Under Fire in Combat. Go beyond the hardware and step into the mindset of an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Tank Commander. In this raw and personal 2025 interview, a Merkava Mk. 4 commander from the 401st Brigade shares what it takes to operate one of the world's most advanced tanks under the "crazy stress" of combat. From intense weekly drills preparing for every possible scenario to leading the charge in the Jabalia operation in Gaza and making life-or-death decisions involving civilians, this is the untold story of the human element inside the steel.
This video provides a crucial ground-level perspective on the moral and tactical challenges of modern warfare. The commander shares his personal motivation: to protect his country so that Israeli civilians from the communities near Gaza in the south and the Lebanese border in the north can finally return home safely.
► Ground-Level Context for the 2025 Israel-Hamas War:
This commander's testimony provides a vital perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the broader security challenges Israel faces in 2025. His experiences in Jabalia during the recent two-year war with Hamas highlight the complex reality of modern urban warfare and the stringent Rules of Engagement (ROE) the IDF operates under. The constant training and ethical considerations are shaped by persistent threats from terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah on Israel's southern and northern borders. His desire to see citizens return to their homes in communities like Sderot, Ashkelon, Kiryat Shmona, and Metula speaks to the ongoing impact of these conflicts on Israeli society and the ultimate goal of achieving lasting security.
00:00We have drills for almost anything. We have drills for evacuation, we have drills for soldiers that get injured, whether it's the driver, loader, or gunner.
00:06We have a step-by-step instructions for the crewmen, what we do in each situation, and everyone knows what they need to do, and we practice that on a weekly basis.
00:14Before the war, we had something called precious time. We had two straight weeks where we were just waiting to enter, and we trained from the morning to the night, getting ready for these situations.
00:23If a tank gets hit in the front on the engine, we have a drill for that. We know how to do almost anything, whether we're shot at, whether the tank blows up, and it's my job as a tank commander to give out those instructions in real time under crazy stress, sometimes even if you've been injured, and we're expected to do our job.
00:40We're trained and prepared for any operational activity.
00:43As you can see, I'm sitting on the engine. It's currently covered, but this is one of the safety measurements the tank has, which ensures survivability for the crew.
00:55We have the engine in the front, so if a shell or anti-tank missile is shot at the front of the tank, this will take the burden.
01:03We do know that the tank will then not be operational because there won't be an engine, and we're willing to live with that because our priority is to keep the soldiers safe.
01:11This is a 120-millimeter cannon. It's attached to the turret. This wider part is for the gases to go outwards. When you shoot, there's a big reconnaissance.
01:21This whole cannon flies back inside the tank, and there's tons of gases that pass by here, and it can move up and down and spin 360 degrees.
01:29Here we have wind that comes out. When the engine starts, we have hot air coming out of here.
01:34On the other side, we actually have cold air that comes out. These wheels, which we call bugim, it's actually my favorite part of the tank to switch.
01:40So we have some important features here. We have reverse camera. Here's a light that lights up. You can see a tank ahead of you.
01:47That's sometimes how you can see the tank when there's tons of dust, and you're not really sure how far you are away from a tank.
01:52As long as you see this light, and you know you're doing well.
01:57Our operation in Jabalia, my platoon led the brigade, and the first tank had a mine put on the tank in between the hatchet and the turret,
02:07and thank God it didn't explode. I had a lot of situations of civilians walking by with white flags,
02:13which of course we would never shoot at, and also sometimes civilians who are threatening our tank, who are filming our tank,
02:19and I know that they're giving up our coordinates to Hamas right now, but I won't strike them because they're not threatening me,
02:26and that's how we operate in the IDF. It's important for me to be able to say that I did my 100% to protect
02:33the country and the civilians here. I want people up north and down south by Gaza to be able to return
02:39to their homes. Still unfortunately many communities have not returned home yet.
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