Israeli sniper reflects on combat, faith and the aftermath of Oct 7 Hamas attack

Yehuda Bachana, director of the Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry and a reservist in the Israeli army, offered a firsthand account of military service, faith, and the human cost of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel in a recent interview with Christian journalist Paul Calvert.

Bachana was called up on the Shabbat morning of Oct. 7, leaving his congregation in the middle of Simchat Torah celebrations, to report for military reserves duty.

He described the heavy emotional strain his wife and three children lived through during his deployment in Gaza, a burden made even more difficult by long periods without communication. While soldiers in the field operated within a clear structure and relied on each other for support, Bachana explained that families at home faced uncertainty alone.

“Once I’m there, I’m with my friends. Friends, you know, fellow soldiers, we strengthen one another. We have jokes between ourselves. We have a purpose. We know what is happening. We have a schedule.”

During his time in Gaza, Bachana described experiences that he regards as divine intervention. In one case, he recounted waiting for the bomb squad inside a house previously used by militants. A fellow soldier noticed something unusual under the sofa where he was sitting.

“I’m literally sitting on an explosive device,” he said, explaining that a nearby tank had unwittingly severed the trigger cable moments earlier, a sequence of events he regards as nothing short of a miracle.

Speaking from his experience as a sniper, Bachana addressed Israel’s conduct in the war and Hamas’ use of human shields. “I saw with my own eyes that a campus area of buildings was used for militants,”

He noted that Palestinian children were positioned by Hamas as lookouts under the assumption that Israeli forces would not fire on them and that IDF soldiers target terrorists and not innocent children.

Reflecting on worldwide demonstrations accusing Israel of genocide, Bachana said the issue is rooted in misinformation rather than malice.

“I served as a sniper, and I know there is no genocide,” he told Calvert, adding that engagement was always limited to verified threats.

For Bachana, the conflict also carries a deeper spiritual dimension tied to longstanding biblical questions of identity and God’s covenant with Abraham.

During long stretches without phones or screens, soldiers found themselves talking about the deeper questions of faith and belief. “The fact that I’m a believer gives me a lot of strength,” Bachana said, noting that discussions about God emerged when the daily distractions diminished.

He also spoke about the humanitarian response that mobilized in the days following Oct. 7, 2023, as donor support was quickly directed to urgent needs on the ground. Through Netivyah, soldiers received basic supplies, protective gear, drones, and other life-saving equipment when the situation was chaotic and resources were scarce.

More information about the ministry’s ongoing work is available at Netivyah.org.

Click below to listen to Paul Calvert’s full interview with IDF reservist, Yehuda Bachana.