About a month after the underground route where Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was being held was revealed, Itamar Levi and Yair Pazarker descended from the IDF site system about 20 meters below the city of Rafah, and entered the 'Dror Lavan' - together with Yahalam fighters, Shayetet 13, and the engineering forces of the Gaza Division.
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""This is one of the longest tunnels in the Gaza Strip, it's really like a 'metro,'" states Captain M., the commander of the Behalam, and says that it is about 7-10 kilometers long. "And besides, its structure is also particularly challenging - as it is winding, divided and branched, and contains dozens of rooms for staying and sleeping in that were staffed by senior Hamas officials.".
From the moment they received the golden news about a year and a half ago about the location of the body of a Givati officer who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during Operation Protective Edge - IDF forces operated in "White Dror", searching for his whereabouts, while destroying many terrorist infrastructures in the process. "The work was Sisyphean and thorough - it was not easy at all," admits the company commander, "but there is not a day that Hadar is not in our thoughts, which constantly reminded us why we are here.".
The tunnel itself is small and narrow for the most part, and its ceiling is low. Its walls are covered with a layer of 'dipom', a kind of thin white tile. As the fighters who operated inside describe, the place is stifling, dark, and extremely crowded. "During the search for hidden shafts, we were busy, among other things, removing the boards that lined the route," says Captain M., "with the understanding that behind each of the tiles we could find Hadar, a room for the terrorist group, or a shelter for terrorists.".
The activities inside 'Dror Lavan' were carried out by Yahyalam forces in close cooperation with the fighters of Squadron 13, who were responsible for exploring the tunnel for all its secrets.
""When the mission was launched, we began a long process of in-depth study of the route," explains Lt. Col. G., from the Shaitat Combat Division. "We tried to understand the length and depth of the tunnel and where it passes, using various technological means at our disposal.".
At the end of the diagnosis, the teams were able to begin physical activity in the tunnel space: "We mapped the entire system to create accessibility for the engineering forces to enter the sub-division at selected points. And of course, at the same time, the search for the body of the late Hadar was carried out.".
At this point, the engineers had already begun moving on the ground. "You could say we were working in two channels at once," describes Lt. Col. R., the engineering officer of the Gaza Division. "The special forces, for example, Yahalam, fought inside the tunnel itself, and were actually the ones actively searching the area for artifacts, and the battalion, which operated above ground, and around the route.".
At the beginning of the operation, there were many clashes and face-to-face encounters with the enemy inside 'White Sparrow.' The fighters knew that in order to continue the mission continuously, they must first clear the compounds of a variety of threats. "It was a challenging task to cut off the 'red' forces, and included quite a few frontal battles.".
For about a year, on a daily basis, the forces removed the tiles from the walls and ceiling. Each time, they marked a 'V' on another part of the tunnel, another wing and a twist. "On one occasion we managed to locate a huge living and command room behind one of the tiles, which was used by Hamas," recalls Captain M., "on other occasions we located weapons, or other means of terror. These are moments that make clear to us the dangerousness and cunning of the terrorists, and the importance of our work - and there is no shortage of that.".
Now, after the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was returned to the Israeli grave in November, as part of the ceasefire agreement, and the takeover of 'Dror Lavan' has been effectively completed, the fighters can summarize their unique activity in the bowels of the earth.
""We were there for a year and a half, every day filled with so many challenges, and in the end we managed to contribute to the return of the late Hadar," concludes Lt. Col. G., "Even when the darkness felt endless, and the narrow walls enveloped you, we knew that this was what we were working towards, and that's what kept us going even when it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.".
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