Heroic South African brothers saved thousands

Brothers Keith and Brett Isaacson, born in Klerksdorp, are real-life modern-day action heroes, reminiscent of characters from the Israeli television series Fauda. On 7 October, amidst heavy bombardment and savage attacks by Hamas terrorists, they risked their lives for hours and days on end to protect Gaza border communities in the south, potentially saving thousands of lives on that fateful Shabbat.

Father of four, Brett, 54, almost single-handedly protected the Mivtahim Junction, the main access point to seven moshavim from approaching terrorists. Meanwhile, Keith, 58, as head of security for the Eshkol region consisting of 32 communities in the south totalling more than 17 000 people, commanded intense operations from a bunker, desperately thwarting further attacks.

“It was the worst day since the beginning of the state of Israel. It has been the hardest time of my life,” said Keith.

Today, nine months after the gravest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, the brothers, who still speak with a South African accent, have a mission: to help rebuild affected communities with a vision to make them stronger, more resilient, more vibrant, and appealing than ever.

“Otherwise, they [Hamas] will have won,” said Keith.

Their goal is to fortify these areas to ensure that they never again have to rely solely on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for protection.

“The army let us down that day,” said Brett. “I’ve experienced a lot of pain and personal hardship having attended the funerals of many close friends. My wish is to be able to trust the army again, but I’m not sure this will ever happen,” he told the SA Jewish Report.

The brothers, who live in Moshav Sde Nitzan, about 7km from the Gaza envelope, left South Africa in 1975 aged nine and five with their parents, Eve and Joe, and their baby sister, Jennifer, settling as farmers in the south. The family farmed tomatoes for years for the local and overseas market, and later flowers.

They are well known olim in the region, having lived their life in service to their country and communities.

They are also seasoned military men. Keith and Brett served in the Givati Brigade, one of the five infantry brigades of the IDF and one of two under the Southern Command, as combat soldiers and then reservists, but according to Keith, “The October massacre changed us forever.

“More than 216 people in my Eshkol region, including the communities of Kibbutzim Be’eri and Nir Oz, were killed, 160 were injured, 30 were orphaned, more than 300 houses were destroyed and burnt, 16 of my communities out of 32 were attacked that day, 33 of my reservists were killed, and many dozens were taken hostage and still remain in Gaza. It’s difficult to comprehend,” he told the newspaper.

Early that morning, he twice narrowly escaped death after terrorists opened fire while he was travelling in an armoured, bullet-proof vehicle to try reach a nearby army base. After fleeing for safety and having made it to the Eshkol municipality, he remained stationed there for days on end co-ordinating rescue and operational control of the area. His family were at different moshavim in the area, his four children involved in defending the borders in various capacities.

The events of that day and the weeks that followed will haunt him.

“It wasn’t just killing, it was slaughtering, cutting off limbs, doing things I don’t want to talk about because it’s not things that humans do. They aren’t humans, they aren’t animals because animals don’t do that, they are monsters,” he said.

The entire area under his security jurisdiction of more than 17 000 people was evacuated. Several thousand have since returned, but many are still too fearful. Others say they will never return.

“They came not only to kill, but to destroy and make it impossible for people to return,” he said.

However, he’s hoping to get enough support to rebuild.

Recalling the events of that day, Brett said, “As rockets rained down, my phone rang at about 06:30. It was my best friend from the nearby moshav, Mivtahim, urgently seeking help.”

“A group of terrorists was advancing on the Mivtahim Junction, the main gateway to our cluster of moshavim. My friend and one other policeman were trying to hold them off, but he urgently needed to return to his own moshav, which he feared was under attack.”

Brett immediately put on his uniform, gathered the limited arms and ammunition available, and headed to relieve his friend, not knowing that would be the last time he would see him alive.

When Brett arrived, he was shocked at what saw.

“Young people fleeing to safety from the Nova festival in their cars were shot to death. There were 16 bodies. Terrorists lay in wait.”

With only a few rifles and limited ammunition, he had no idea how many attackers he and the traumatised policeman faced. “I needed to calm him down. It was hard, he had witnessed a lot. I gave him some ammunition and we became the final stand.”

For hours, they were the only defence that remained between the approaching attackers and hundreds of civilians in the various moshavim behind them, including Brett’s entire family made up of his wife, adult children, elderly parents, and Keith’s family.

“I knew I needed to make the ammunition last because I had no way of knowing when IDF forces would be arriving to help us,” he said.

“We could see there was smoke, gun, and rocket fire along the borders. The IDF was fighting elsewhere, and we were alone,” he said.

His fears grew when he heard gunfire behind him coming from the direction of the moshavim.

“Terrorists had made their way in from a back road. My calls to my friend went unanswered, so I knew the situation was dire and no-one was coming to help us,” he said.

The pair were alone for what seemed like an eternity, guarding the dead bodies and neutralising the hidden attackers.

Eventually, security forces arrived to help, and he was able to leave to assist elsewhere.

Nothing could prepare Brett for what he discovered when he arrived at Mivtahim.

His friend and several well-known reservists, also friends of his, had been shot in battle as terrorists had moved in, killed, looted, and finally left for Gaza leaving a trail of death and destruction.

“That was a hard moment,” said Brett, who protected the bodies for hours until the army arrived at about 01:40.

“The area is still a war zone. It’s not a safe place for children,” said Keith. But the brothers are determined to change this.

“The area has to be 200% better than it was before 7 October,” said Keith. “We don’t want mediocre, we want people to flock here because we’ll offer the best of everything, from roads and gardens to education, security, and lifestyle,” he said. He has been on a fundraising drive to countries such as Australia, Canada, and Finland.

What the brothers witnessed that day and in the sorrowful, mournful days that followed will remain with them for the rest of their lives, but it won’t deter them.