‘The hostages are my prime precedence:’ the IDF officer overseeing help distribution, and her mission

M., a mom of 4 and spouse to a hi-tech skilled, described her mission in 5 phrases: “returning the hostages and denying Hamas help.”

“As a uniformed officer, my function is at the start to guard the State of Israel and everybody who lives right here,” Lt.-Col. M., 42, head of the Overseas Relations Division within the Coordination and Liaison Directorate (CLD) for Gaza, instructed Walla in an interview.

Since December 2024, she has overseen the coordination of humanitarian help exercise within the Gaza Strip with dozens of worldwide organizations.

M., a mom of 4 and spouse to a hi-tech skilled, described her mission in 5 phrases: “returning the hostages and denying Hamas help.”

“Most of our work includes coordinating humanitarian efforts with actors inside and outdoors the Gaza Strip,” she defined. “We usher in humanitarian help, and we additionally coordinate the evacuation of sufferers and the protected switch of overseas nationals.”

Her function goes far past supervising help vehicles. “There’s coordination that isn’t essentially meals—resembling medical gear, blood models, and extra. On the one hand, we’re preventing, and on the identical time, medical groups or humanitarian convoys should transfer throughout or close to fight zones. These are two parallel efforts that have to be synchronized.”

M. famous that the looting of help is routine. “Most of their vehicles are looted alongside the best way. We see it. Assist from these vehicles, with worldwide logos, is offered within the markets. You’ll be able to even see its affect on costs—for instance, flour costs have dropped.”

She has additionally needed to tackle complicated incidents, together with the deaths of World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers in an Israeli strike. “After each incident, we cease, examine, examine what occurred, and attempt to perceive why. Gaza is a battle zone. It’s not a sterile space.”

Returning the hostages

M. was instantly concerned in Operation ‘Derech Eretz,’ which noticed hostages returned and Palestinian prisoners launched. “The reality is, Operation ‘Derech Eretz’ shook me probably the most,” she recalled. “To see the coffins of our hostages—it’s to harm, to cry on what occurred to us as a individuals, a nation, a military on October 7. And a minute later, it’s important to pull your self collectively, bear in mind you’re on an operational mission, and proceed.”

“The hostages are my prime precedence,” M. harassed. “Even when a number of the help we usher in reaches them and retains them alive yet one more day, I’ve earned my bread. That is my life’s mission.”

Regardless of the pressure, she insisted her battle is just not towards the civilians of Gaza however towards Hamas. “I’ll do every thing to forestall Hamas from accessing humanitarian help. And I reside with the hope that at any second, I’ll get the decision: put together for an additional hostage return.”