The two squads under my command begin to overtake the Centurion battalion, so as to lead the brigade out of the built-up area of the Gaza Strip around the Rafiah Junction. The unit's two clerks, Sara and Nira, are left behind in the dust, gathering up the postcards. They wave goodbye through tears. A last memory from another world, from home. Yossi's squad enters the approaches to Abasan Al-Kabir, in the suburbs of Khan Yunis.
Egyptian soldiers stand by the road in amazement, watching the line go past.
One waves to our soldiers, who look cautiously back. Suddenly, hell opens its mouth. The force begins to look for a way into Khan Yunis. Yossi finds a path leading west and begins to advance until he is stopped by a deep anti-tank trench. Behind it is the Gurinov post, and above it a tower.