We received a beautiful narrative written by a young Israeli soldier who asked us to share his story with our readers. Hananya Naftali, the author, is a 20-year-old Christian soldier serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Over the last two years, Hananya witnessed many things he would like the world to know about the IDF, including what it was like to fight in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge last summer. In his own words, here is the story of Hananya’s combat boots.
If My Shoes Could Speak / Israeli Soldier
If my shoes could tell my story, All the scratches and defects they have, shows just a little of where they were or to be exact, what I went through.
Walking in the dusty sandy ground of the Gaza area, preparing to go in.
Running to the bomb shelter when the alarm goes on, running for our lives, hoping there’s no mothers and their babies running helplessly, having to protect with their bodies just to make sure that their baby will be okay.
My shoes know how to run fast, they have been trained to do that, whether in the mud or sand, they have been told they must do their best in every situation because they carry an Israeli soldier.
If my shoes could tell my feelings and desires they would say that the media lies about me. And tell you that it’s not true; I don’t want war I seek for peace in the middle-east. But on the other hand, I don’t want my Israeli citizens to live in bomb shelters, because if we would put our weapons down like the world wants us to do, we basically dig our own graves. They will never stop fighting.
When you check for a nearby restaurant, Some Israelis check for a nearby shelter when they go out, because you never know when the alarm catches you, and in some places you have only 15 seconds to run to a bomb shelter.
If my shoes could lead the way, trust me they wouldn’t lead to Gaza or to Lebanon, they prefer to walk in peace and see Arabs and Jewish people dance together and help each other.
If my shoes could see what I saw in Gaza, they would tell you that I passed by a house and inside that house, I saw a graffiti on the intern wall (I assume the family wrote it before they left) that says: “I hate Hamas”.
Why Hamas’ leaders live safe while their citizens have to leave their homes because of them. But not one citizen stands up against them because they will lose their lives. Hamas is like a mafia in the city. Their motto should be: Live in fear or you die.
But finally, now, I look at my shoes, and every scratch has a story to tell, I feel like shoes of an IDF soldier are not just shoes, I feel connected to my shoes, since we went through all these stuff together. And lastly, if my shoes could speak, they would shout: the IDF loves its enemies more than it should.
