Army unit survived direct hit on building during Pillar of Defense, IDF reveals

An army unit survived a direct missile hit to a building where it was preparing for a possible land incursion into Gaza during Operation Pillar of Defense.

The IDF cleared for publication this weekend the details of the incident, which occurred last Tuesday. Dozens of soldiers in the Golani brigade’s elite Egoz reconnaissance unit were being briefed in a building in the Eshkol region bordering the Gaza Strip when a missile fired from the Gaza Strip tore through the roof and hit an internal wall.

The unit commander quickly arrived on the scene and evacuated the soldiers. Due to fears that there were explosive materials attached to the missile that could detonate, soldiers were instructed to leave all of their gear, including their weapons, behind and get out as quickly as possible.

Only one soldier was injured in the attack.

“It was a miracle… God only knows how nobody was killed in this incident,” said a soldier who arrived moments after the missile fell, according to Maariv.

Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense lasted for eight days before a ceasefire was reached on Wednesday night.