natural fort without parallel on the southern front. In a rapid action we took Idnibah and Muralis near Kibbutz Kfar Menachem. After the loss of Hill 105 the Egyptians give up their dream of advancing and conquering. They give up plans to take the two isolated kibbutzim of Gat and Gal’on, which seemed to threaten a repetition of the Negba story on a smaller scale. They concentrated all their efforts on a stubborn defense. We have now gained the initiative. From Isdud to Beit Jibrin and Zakariyya, along the great arc of the southern front, our decimated units have begun the attack on the fortified defensive positions of the Egyptians.
The newspapers that somehow found their way to us reported that the United Nations had decided on a ceasefire for 18 July, to start at seven in the evening. We didn’t believe it. We had a superstitious belief that we would be disappointed if we believed in the ceasefire. And we knew this disappointment would be terrible. Still we couldn’t keep out the thought: maybe there will be one after all?
A trench near Sawafir
Wounded transport
We knew that a big offensive was coming - to open the route to the Negev before the ceasefire came into force. Everyone had the same feeling. We have seen death a hundred times, it can’t scare us. But the date for a new ceasefire ... "I just need to stay alive until tomorrow" is in all our minds.
It means a lot to us, the opening of the road to the Negev: the aim of all our activities these wild ten days. And we are resolutely deter-mined to finish the job.
The commanders return from a discussion. Two infantry compa-nies - our number one company and a company of recruits from the navy, which will act as a reserve - are going to attack Beit Affa from two directions. The jeeps will keep the enemy busy with quick volleys. But this time two of the jeeps are allocated the task of collect-ing the wounded. Mine is one of them.
* * *
We drive to the medical station to equip ourselves with as much ban-dage material as possible and enough stretchers. On the way we meet