IDF Soldiers Saved By Mincha Prayers
Shabbos Stories | February 19, 2024
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IDF Soldiers Saved By Mincha Prayers

Shabbos Stories | December 10, 2025

IDF soldier Malkiel Ben Yosef told 103FM interviewers how davening Mincha saved his life and his platoon in the central Gaza town of El-Bureij.

“I realized that sunset was approaching, and I hadn’t prayed Mincha yet,” he said.

“The force halted, and I told myself, ‘This is my last opportunity to pray Mincha; otherwise, I’ll probably miss it.’ I stood to daven, facing Yerushalayim, and while I was davening, I saw movement in an open field nearby where engineering vehicles had already passed. About 15-10 yards away, I saw the movement of something metal from the ground.

“At first, I didn’t understand what this movement was. I thought it might be an animal or something. After a second, I realized someone was coming out of the ground with an RPG.

“That second, I shouted for everyone to pay attention because the guys there weren’t far from me, and I started shooting at him. I realized he was a terrorist who was heading towards the rest of the force. From what I understand and realize, he didn’t know that I was there on the side. As soon as I shouted, he turned towards me with the RPG, and I and the friends around me managed to take him down before he could fire the RPG,” Ben Yosef said.

Reprinted from the January 28, 2024 website of Matzav.com

IDF soldier Malkiel Ben Yosef told 103FM interviewers how davening Mincha saved his life and his platoon in the central Gaza town of El-Bureij.

“I realized that sunset was approaching, and I hadn’t prayed Mincha yet,” he said.

“The force halted, and I told myself, ‘This is my last opportunity to pray Mincha; otherwise, I’ll probably miss it.’ I stood to daven, facing Yerushalayim, and while I was davening, I saw movement in an open field nearby where engineering vehicles had already passed. About 15-10 yards away, I saw the movement of something metal from the ground.

“At first, I didn’t understand what this movement was. I thought it might be an animal or something. After a second, I realized someone was coming out of the ground with an RPG.

“That second, I shouted for everyone to pay attention because the guys there weren’t far from me, and I started shooting at him. I realized he was a terrorist who was heading towards the rest of the force. From what I understand and realize, he didn’t know that I was there on the side. As soon as I shouted, he turned towards me with the RPG, and I and the friends around me managed to take him down before he could fire the RPG,” Ben Yosef said.

Reprinted from the January 28, 2024 website of Matzav.com

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