October 7, three years on, from the perspective of an army medic who refuses to lose hope - opinion

Three years after the October 7, 2023 attack, an IDF combat medic reflects on serving in a Palmar extraction unit, the revolution in battlefield medicine, and the unity he witnesses across Israeli society. He contrasts the current hostile environment with 1939, emphasizing that Jews now have a homeland and the strength to defend themselves.

Three years after the October 7, 2023 attack, IDF reservist and combat medic Tuvia Book reflects on his service in a Palmar medical extraction unit. He describes the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, the global response that he says sided with the terrorists, and the key difference from 1939: the Jewish people now have a homeland and the strength to defend themselves. Book, who had been out of uniform for 17 years, recounts his determined effort to re-enlist and his ongoing service. He details the revolution in battlefield medicine, including carrying real blood into the field, embedded physicians, and digital systems that update hospitals before casualties arrive. Palmar units have carried out over 3,000 evacuations, more than 400 by helicopter. He highlights the unity among soldiers—religious and secular, Left and Right, Jewish and non-Jewish—and contrasts it with the division he sees in the outside world. The piece promotes his book, 'Heroes of Palmar,' and includes an endorsement from former ambassador Michael Oren.