Talk station. Brian Thomas happy to see an update on the fifty five carse Morning Show rundown and please as I can be to Welcome to the fifty five Carsite Morning Show. He is the captain of an elite commando unit in the Israeli Defense Forces. His name El Kana aka Kuna Cohen, and he's joined the program to talk about his new book and give us an update on the situation in Israel right now. The book October seventh, The War against SMAs through the Eyes of an Israeli
Commando Officer. Welcome to the fifty five KRSS Morning Show, Captain Cohen. It's a pleasure to have you on today, sir.
Thank you for having It's a great privilege to participate your program.
Well before we get into October seventh and the aftermath, I want to quickly ask you, and I know Benjamin n. Yahoo has not gone on records saying Israel is responsible for the cell phone blowing the his balla cell phones blowing up, and yesterday the walkie talkie's blowing up. I just am in awe of how that was able to be pulled off. What is your reaction to the ability to get those devices into the hands of the members of the terrorist organization and set them off by remote control.
That has really had to have blown his ball of minds, not literally, or maybe it is literally in some cases, but they have to be reeling from the effectiveness of that attack.
Yeah, I think it's amazing. As you just mentioned, Israel or the government or the idea did into the responsibility. But I think that we can learn from the action that we work very accurate in order to make sure that there is no any collateral damage. And the only people who got HERI in this action was the terrorists themselves. That they were holding pagers and Milwaukee tokis they only used for terrorisms.
Well, and that you got them in the hands of the terrorists alone is pretty amazing. Now, I saw that the Israeli cabinet has given Prime Minister net and Yahoo and Defense Minister go out the authorization take military action against Osbawa. Is this the the limiting nature of the attack? In other words, you've taken away of his balla's ability to communicate, or you haven't. Their ability to communicate has
been severely disrupted. Is that does not that represent a great time to move in because they're going to be in a state of disarray for a while because the only way they apparently could be able to communicate is by mail.
So I'm not connected to all the information at the end. I'm an captain an officer in the Ideas. But as you just mentioned, I truly think that we did harm their communication and it's probably a good time for us to react sometimes, you know, we don't have all the information. Probably the Prime Minister and the Idea have everything, and
I'm assuming that we are playing serious things ahead. I also can tell you that the Ideas mentioned that he's moving the center of the fight into up north instead of the Gaza Strip.
Okay, Well, pivoting back over to the Gaza Strip, which is the subject of your book, October seventh War against some Aster. The is of an Israeli commando officer prior to that terrible day October seventh, What is it like to be an Israeli citizen on the Israeli side of the fence and Gaza being right there, obviously literally next door with it's an area that is run by a terrorist organization that has held bent on eradicating the Israeli people.
What is the stress level like? How do the people feel prior to October seventh, day to day living with that threat right there, considering the rockets being launched and everything, I just can't imagine.
Yeah, I think it's good that you manage how that you mentioned the fact that we are a citizen. Also me right now while I'm talking to you, I'm a reserve captain. I'm not an octaviuty. And on October seven, I figured that I had to go into the army to the ideas to defend my country. But that day, on the morning, I was with my father in law, with my parents in law. We were celebrating holiday. And then it's a shocking knowledge. It will be shocking knowledge for you. My wife woke me up. It was five
point thirty in the morning. She had a nightmare and she told me she were terrified and told me that in her nightmare, one hundreds of teubles were chasing us and I couldn't use my gun in order to defend herselfs I hugged her back and I told her she don't worry, everything will be fine. And then one hour later I was awaken up by the iron daum system that were activated from the missile that we're shooting from God that told to Israel. You asked me, how is
it to live here in Israel? So I think Israeli, everyone who know Israeli, they know that we have great spirits and we I've been through some dark times. And unfortunately, while we're talking, we still have one hundred and one hostages in captivity. One hundred and one. It's it's an insane number. They're incuptivity already for three hundred and forty eight days. It's it's unbelievable. But I think we are
with a great spirit. We have our time here right now, but we know that we will we will manage that and we will be able to defeat uh, this evil and this terror group. By the way, it's not just from us, it's I went through Gaza and soon I'm
going to share some of my experience there. But I just want to tell you the majority of the people who live at Gaza, at least the places that I've been to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, support the elimination of Israel, the elimination of the West in total.
Well, that certainly is the is the big sure in the image that I get, and I suppose that the October seventh terror operation, the murder of innocent women, children, young people, people who are not uniformed military combatants. That reminded me a lot of nine to eleven. And we use nine to eleven as a justification for launching wars in the Middle East. And I hear a bunch of people who are anti Israel, at least lean that way,
complain about collateral damage. Were you going into Gaza to defend yourself against the horrors of the war that was launched on your country. I don't understand that, sir. So to those people who complain only about innocent women and children in collateral damage, would you explain to them the efforts that Israel goes through before they enter into it and start launching bombs and going into combat in areas like Gaza.
Yeah, let me answer your question. First of all, let's put it in numbers. On October seven, two hundred and fifty three people were kidnapped. In one thousand, two hundred people were slaughtered. If we compare that to the US, it's in the seven thousand, five hundred people were slaughtered. Sorry, we're kidnapped, and thirty six people were slaughtered that day. It's it's number that everyone just cannot think about it.
It's outrageous. So first of all, when people say, you know, like a proportional response, what will be your proportional response for this amount of people who getting kidnapped and slaughtered? But I'm putting that aside. One second, I want to share one of my experiences during that time in Gaza. One of we got an intel of a school that were full with infrastructures for terror and we knew that we have to conquer that place. But we also knew
that that school was school with civilians. So as we always do, I'm telling you, as we always do, we stuck calling them all out, but no one left the area. So we use the drone in orders to skin the to scan the school from above from the air, and then on we saw that there is Hamas guard inside that school. They didn't let those citizens to leave the school. More than that, one of the kids, I think was five years old try to run away and the Hamas guard shoot him in his head and kill them in
front of his mom. Oh my god, that time I realized, we realized that we have to kill those guards. So after a couple of moments, later, one of the Hamas guard went on the rooftop. He went holding was holding a baby. Just in front of us. He was holding a baby. He knew exactly where we were. We wore a couple of one hundred meters away. He knew where we were, where we are staying. And behind them was a guy with a camera. They just waited for us
to take that shot. And we didn't took the shot because unlike those savages, I have no other wall to describe that. We don't use innocent people, and we don't we don't slaughter baby as they just did on October seventh, and keep doing, by the way, because a few weeks ago we just got a great reminder murdering executing these
six lovely hostages that were about to get rescued. So it was holding that baby what And we didn't took that shot, even though it's meant for us that we're putting our life on the line, because as I just told you, they knew exactly where we were. They could have aimed any RPG missile at forty seven that they had towards us. Yet we put our life on the danger and we didn't took that shot. Later on the
same Hamas gard went on the roofstop again. It was surrounded by a group of women, one of them banned a little bit. It was enough for our sniper to take that shot and to eliminate that threat. And I'm sharing this experience because I want people to understand what's actually going on through this war. We're doing endless efforts in order to avoid any casualties. And then you just mentioned there's people who protest against.
Yeah, and I find that hard to believe. But I understand the disdain so many people have for Israel. I mean, I know that it exists. I don't understand where that hatred and disdain comes from, but there it is. And you mentioned the Gaza citizenry generally speaking, they're all anti Israel. They want to eradicate Israel generally speaking, which of course is the goal of Hamas, who runs Gaza. What is
your belief what would you consider success, Captain Cohen. I mean, if you went in and you were able to eliminate every single member of Hamas and or Habala, the citizenry, maybe people who are not members haven't yet taken up arms, still have that same philosophy, so you'll still be living next to people who want to eliminate you. Don't you see that as a possible They could just like phoenix from the ashes, arise again in a different form or
reform under the name Hamas or Hezbala. How can you win the war?
I think first of all, we need to understand that we need our brother and sister back here alive as soon as possible, and this is what we're fighting for. We're fighting for our sake, but also for the Palestinian's sake. As I just mentioned, Hamasta doesn't care about his own people. He uses human hills. You're right, you just mentioned that they can rise from the ashes and through a different organizations.
So after were making sure that everyone who support our desks is not able to do anything like that again. In the future, our main goal will be to re educating them and to show them what life's supposed to dealiz. You know, if you look at Israel, if you I don't know if you've ever been to Israel, but Israel
it's a lovely place. We have huge Haita company over here, the nicest resort, amazing innovation, and just seventy years ago we went through a holocaust with six million Jews were killed, so we had every reason to be miserable to tell the world story and we can't do anything. And yet we managed to build an amazing state. And yet you can hear the Palestinians as they pronounce themselves. Even if there is something like that, they always looked for the
past they have. I'm telling you, I've been through Gaza. They had the nicest bitches o reserve, but unfortunately they take every money that they had in order to invest and build terror tunnel, terror infrastructure, and we need to make sure to show them that we can do different. I want to have a boring life. I don't want to spend the last year I spent over two hundred and fourty days on reserve. I shut down my business that day. And as I told you and expecting father,
I don't want to participate war. But unfortunately I understand that we have to fight it. As long that they are fighting and they want to destroy my country, to kill my people, I'll do everything that it takes to make sure that I'm protecting them.
I understand that, like a grown up sir, I certainly understand that. But the biggest problem, the elephant in the room, if I may be so bold, the Iranians are the ones that are funding this. If the Iranians would not provide the weaponry, the money, the war machinery to these terrorist organizations, I think you would be in a much better place because the terrorist organizations, as much as they might want to eradicate you, are unable to do so
without military hardware and rockets. What do we do with Iran?
You're definitely right, You're definitely right. I think the entire of the world should understand that and to do embargos and you know, just world pressure against terrorism against Iran, against Ri Bala, against the SEA organization in them and Lebanon, Syria. They all part of the same network. And just amazing because as as we just saw two days ago, one of the Iranian UH representatives in his in Lebanon got
heard from those UH UH walkie TALKI explosions. Just show learn only only you know, only the people who connected to his Bala had those those radio and yeah, this guy got hurt. So just show you that deep connection that they that they have between Iran to to Chris Bala. And I can tell you that I saw multiple weapons inside the Gaza strip that were made by Iran. So yeah, I think the entire world should understand and and and do as much pressure as we can.
Well, if it was up to me, I would do everything in my power to get the Iranians eradicated myself. They are obviously a source of discontent, weaponry, and war, and they hate us as much as the the Hamas hates Israel. So, sir, you're obviously very brave. I wish you all the best, and you're the fact that your wife is pregnant, you're you're you're waiting to become a father in the middle of this crisis is proof that the world continues to evolve and move on and live,
thrive and survive. So I wish you and your wife the best of health and uh and you have a word or two you want to say about your fellow soldiers before we part company today.
Yeah, So, first of all, I want to say about my fellow soldier and about my comrades. I think that I have an amazing team, and I have an amazing people, and I wish the war knew them, you know, privately, because personally, I'm sorry because we all people who want to leave, who want to be with our family, but we know that sometimes we need to put everything aside and fight talk for our country. But I also want to say thank you for all the people in the
US who are supporting us. It's mean a lot and I'm very grateful for that. Please keep do that, keep support, keep even share this interview, do whatever you can in order to show the world what actually is going on right now while we're talking. And if anyone has any questions, you more than welcome to talk to me through my Instagram account it is Kanna under school who know no e l k A n A under School k u n O or through my website l cannat dashcoin dot com E l k a n A dash c o
h e n dot com. And I can tell you last thing that hopefully I'm coming soon to the US for speaking to our to share our experience, to share the world what actually is going on. And if there is anyone here who wants me to come to congregation to his community, you're more than welcome to reach me out through my website or my social accounts. And I would like to talk to you with everyone.
Captain Elkanna Kuno Cohen. It has been a real pleasure having you on the morning show. Thank you for documenting this in the book October seventh, The War against Somemas through the Eyes of an Israeli Commando Officer, Sir. That book is on my web page at fifty five cares dot com. My listeners can easily get a copy of it and reach out to you if they are interested
in engaging in a communication with you. I wish you all the best and safety, and I wish you the best of success, sir, in your effort to wipe out these terrorists. Thank you very much, been my pleasure, my pleasure having you on the program seven coming up on seven twenty two. But you have have KSTE talk station better late than ever, and that's the truth. Plumb type
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