‘Bulletproof Vest’: Israel Police Honors Officers’ Heroic Front-Line Response to October 7 Attacks
Amid public frustration regarding Israel’s lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks, the national police force held a ceremony honoring its officers, including the 59 who were killed in the attacks
Israel’s military and security forces have been under scrutiny and reprimand as details emerge about their lack of preparedness for the October 7 attacks. Amid ongoing investigations, the Israel Police have been recognized for saving many lives, even though they were not fully equipped for the scale of the assault.
Many Israelis hold the security forces responsible for failing to prevent the Hamas attacks, which left over 1,100 people dead, mostly civilians, and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. Master Sgt. Dean Elsdunne, international spokesperson for the Israel Police, told The Media Line that officers “weren’t ready” for an invasion of this magnitude.
“We’re not an army,” Elsdunne said. “Even though we respond to terror attacks and we defend our civilians, we weren’t built for a mass invasion of thousands of terrorists.”
We’re not an army. … We weren’t built for a mass invasion of thousands of terrorists.
Elsdunne commended the bravery of the police on October 7. “We fought proudly for the country and saved as many lives as possible that day,” he said. “Many people are not just a uniform, they have families, they are human beings with fears, but this didn’t stop them from intervening.”
The officers, from diverse backgrounds, worked to save people across all sectors of Israeli society, Elsdunne said. “It’s not just about the Israel Police defending Jews,” he explained. “The Israel Police is made up of Christians, of Muslims, of Russians and Indians, people from all over the world, that have one goal.”
Master Sgt. Dean Elsdunne, international spokesperson for the Israel Police, speaks at the commemoration for police officers who fell during the Oct, 7, 2023 attacks, at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, Oct. 1, 2024. (Giorgia Valente/The Media Line)
He likened the police force to a “bulletproof vest” that prevented the terrorists from causing even more carnage. “If it wasn’t for the contingency plan of the Israel Police that was called before 7 a.m., where we shut down the entire Southern District, these terrorists that invaded into Israel from the air, from the land, from the sea, would have made their way to Tel Aviv, would have made their way to Jerusalem,” he said.
In the first 50 hours of the Hamas invasion, 59 police officers were killed. Ten died in Sderot after terrorists infiltrated the police station, and 17 were killed at the Nova music festival.
Many of the officers killed were off duty, Elsdunne said. “They battled, many of them until their last bullet, coming from their house. They weren’t waiting for units to mobilize or commands from commanders. … They just grabbed their gun and they ran to wherever they heard that people needed their help,” he explained.
They battled, many of them until their last bullet. … They just grabbed their gun and they ran to wherever they heard that people needed their help.
Earlier this month, the Israel Police hosted an event at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem to honor the bravery of officers on October 7 and commemorate those who lost their lives. The event included video testimonies from surviving officers and speeches in tribute to the fallen.
Cheli Ganot, mother of fallen officer Dan Ganot, gave a heartfelt tribute to her son.
Cheli Ganot, mother of fallen officer Dan Ganot, speaks about her son at the commemoration for police officers who fell during the Oct, 7, 2023 attacks, at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, Oct. 1, 2024. (Giorgia Valente/The Media Line)
“I don’t want you to consider my son, as others here on the wall behind me, as heroes just because they sacrificed their lives that day, but for the people they were when they were alive,” Ganot said. “Being a police officer meant a lot to my son because this task made him proud since he was able to save lives and protect people like he did that day.”
Dan Ganot was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 when his vehicle was struck by an RPG.
Cheli Ganot described the memorial as a source of pride for the Israel Police.
Bedouin officer Remo Salman El-Hozayel is another example of the courage and resilience demonstrated by the police force.
On October 7, 2023, El-Hozayel was on duty at the Nova music festival, his first time guarding a private event. Minutes after he arrived, rocket barrages began, and someone told him that his brother had been shot by a terrorist.
“That morning, there were only 12 cops with me, and we weren’t enough to face the huge attack,” he told The Media Line. “We saw bodies and blood everywhere, and many people trying to hide behind anything they could find. The army came just at 2:44 p.m., and before then, it was just us and private security from the event.”
To save festival attendees, El-Hozayel packed as many people as possible into an abandoned car to drive them to safety. Realizing not everyone would fit, he made repeated trips, dropping off one group before returning for more. Over several hours, he saved over 200 lives.
I just thought of saving lives without looking at anything else. … Every life counted at that moment,
“I just thought of saving lives without looking at anything else. It didn’t matter to me if you were Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or whatever, every life counted at that moment,” El-Hozayel said. “Our police departments are a symbol of diversity as well, and we should remember that.”
El-Hozayel has since reunited with many of the Nova attendees whose lives he saved.
Officers who weren’t on the ground also played a crucial role. Superintendent Ido Bam of Lahav 433, the police unit that investigates national crimes and corruption, began collecting evidence of the attacks on October 7, 2023.
Superintendent Ido Bam of Lahav 433’s Cyber Unit, Oct. 1, 2024. (Giorgia Valente/The Media Line)
“We were fighting a different battle that day. We started collecting all the footage and evidence of what happened to present this as a later proof,” Bam, who focuses on cybersecurity, told The Media Line. “We went through 1.2 million materials, including those from terrorists’ bodycams. We collected the testimonies of survivors as well because everything may have helped to rebuild what unfolded precisely timewise.”
Bam also assisted in identifying the bodies of victims.
“Most of the bodies we encountered after the attack were deeply mutilated and unrecognizable, so the goal was to give everyone a name and dignity despite the tragedy,” he said. “Nobody could have prepared us for what we saw, and even those officers who weren’t trained for combat tried to fight as much as possible.”
