On Black Saturday, Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg, commander of the 13th battalion of the Golani brigade, was at his home in Kibbutz Almog near the Dead Sea. Early on October 7, he hurried to the fighting zone in the Gaza border communities. His deputy informed him that the area was teeming with Hamas terrorists, and he later discovered that his deputy and another battalion officer had been injured.
Upon reaching the scene, Lt. Col. Greenberg engaged with numerous terrorists in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. In one home, he found two babies peacefully lying in their crib, surrounded by the bodies of their parents, who had been murdered by Hamas terrorists. Greenberg and his soldiers carefully wrapped the infants in a blanket and evacuated them using an armored personnel carrier.
Battalion 13, under Lt. Col. Greenberg's leadership, displayed exceptional valor since October 7, enduring the loss of 41 officers and soldiers in the battles of Kibbutz Nachal Oz. The battalion played a crucial role in the IDF ground maneuver into the Gaza Strip, participating in relentless battles within the territory. They seized the Hamas parliament building, the Gaza military police station, and the parade ground where terrorists gathered before launching attacks in Israel.
In the December 12, 2023 battle, four fighters from a combined Golani force (including the 53rd Battalion and Combat Engineering Corps) were ambushed by terrorists in the Shujaiya neighborhood in northern Gaza. Concern arose that one officer might have been kidnapped into a tunnel shaft. Battalion commanders from neighboring sectors rushed to the scene, initiating a battle to rescue the wounded. After two and a half hours of intense fighting, amidst pouring rain and continuous gunfire, nine officers and soldiers, including Lt. Col. Greenberg, tragically lost their lives. May his memory be blessed.