And in the story that just won't go away, here is an interview with a soldier who witnessed, and spoke to, Rachel Imeinu, during the Gaza Operation Cast Lead.

Listen to it yourself (audio only) and come to your own conclusions.

He describes the whole thing, though he cannot say where in gaza he was and what unit he is in. From what he says it sounds like she was not really simply an old woman walking by. Rather, she was some spiritual, or ghostly, form. he says she was not set on the ground, was more of a figure, did not seem to have arms or legs, and he could not see her face. The poor guy says he has not been able to sleep a restful night since he saw her. He went to many rabbonim, including Rav Ovadya Yosef, who told him that the time has come to tell the story, as he witnessed a miracle. She told the soldier she came because of the prayers of so many jews, so from above they sent her down to save them.

The soldier refuses to say whether others saw her or not in other such instances. He says he saw her, but was not at the other sightings, so he cannot say what happened there.