Under Heavy Fire Behind Enemy Lines: The Communications Officer of the 401st Brigade
Maj. Y., a communications officer for the 401st Brigade, recounts her experience managing complex communication systems in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and the profound impact of losing her brigade commander, Col. Ahsan Daksa.
The day before he was killed, she met at a forward command post with the commander of the 401st Brigade, Col. Ahsan Daksa (of blessed memory), following a complex incident with the Golani reconnaissance unit. It was another day in which Maj. Y., the 401st Brigade's communications officer, waged a battle of wits against Hamas, ensuring command and control while the brigade commander pushed deep into enemy territory.
Maps, computer screens, intelligence, and operational requirements dominated her work. The challenge was placing technological assets to ensure brigade fighters had coverage in built-up areas saturated with tunnels and ambushes. She made fateful decisions regarding technology placement that day—the last time she saw him face to face.
The next day, at noon, she was at a forward command post. On the screens, she saw the convoy of Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen leaving the dense area of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip after a meeting with Col. Daksa.
"We were conducting a situation assessment over the radio," Maj. Y. recounted. "An hour and a half later, an 'incident procedure' began. We realized it involved the 401st Brigade commander, Ahsan Daksa, along with an officer and the commander of the 52nd Battalion. They were in an area they intended to scan before our forces entered."
