Oct 7

About Oct 7

Oct 7: The War Against Hamas Through the Eyes of an Israeli Commando Officer, co-authored by Elkana (Kuno) Cohen and Mark R. Levin, provides a first-person perspective on the events surrounding the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and the subsequent military response. The book documents the experiences of Cohen, an officer in the Maglan unit, which is an elite special forces division of the Israel Defense Forces specializing in operations behind enemy lines and high-intensity urban combat. The narrative begins with the initial mobilization of reserve and active-duty forces following the breach of the Gaza-Israel border and follows the unit's deployment to southern Israeli communities and the later ground maneuvers within the Gaza Strip.

The text offers a detailed account of the tactical engagements and operational challenges faced by Israeli commandos during the first phases of the conflict. It describes the specific weaponry, communication protocols, and strategic decision-making processes employed by the IDF in response to the coordinated assault. Beyond the immediate combat descriptions, the book incorporates a chronological reconstruction of the day’s events, utilizing Cohen’s personal observations to illustrate the scale of the military engagement.

Mark R. Levin, a legal scholar and commentator, contributes to the work by providing broader geopolitical and historical context to Cohen’s tactical account. The collaboration aims to synthesize individual battlefield experiences with an analysis of the intelligence and security landscape of the region. The book serves as a primary source record of the military actions taken by special operations units during the initial weeks of the war, focusing on the logistical and combat realities of modern asymmetric warfare.