Heroic stories of several soldiers were highlighted on Wednesday during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress. One of those heroes is Sergeant First Class Ashraf al-Bakhiri, 42, a fighter in the tracker unit comprised of Bedouin soldiers in the Gaza Division. Speaking with Ynet, he recounted the reactions and recalled the morning of October 7, when he fought against terrorists.
"It is a great honor for the Bedouin community as a whole. I was very moved," he said. "I did not expect to be in this situation. On October 7, I was in the Gaza Division. We killed many terrorists at the checkpoint; there were only four of us soldiers in total. We held out for two hours, conserving our ammunition until reinforcements arrived. It turned out that they had cut through the fence and entered the division from the other side."
"I took one soldier with me and left another at the checkpoint. We went over there, and some of the terrorists headed toward the sports hall in the division. We killed some until Sayeret Matkal soldiers arrived. We showed them where the terrorists were. We didn't know there were more terrorists, and our soldiers were injured and one of the commanders was killed. But we managed to hold out until more reinforcements arrived."
After a fierce battle, al-Bakhiri and his comrades overcame the armed attackers. "We made sure there were no more terrorists in the Gaza Division," he said. "After the Gaza Division, I drove to Kibbutz Be'eri at four in the afternoon. We joined Brigadier General Barak Hiram of the 98th Division. On the way, I saw an elderly woman who had been killed in the middle of the road. I lifted her and moved her aside so that tanks wouldn't run over her. There was also a child. I don't know who they were. I just continued fighting."
He later fought in Gaza. "Honestly, I did not expect terrorists to reach as far as Ofakim that morning, with terrorists roaming Sderot. At first, I thought there might be 10 or 20 terrorists. That day, I saw terrorists in pickups and on motorcycles."
During his visit to Washington, Americans were surprised to see a Bedouin-Muslim soldier with the prime minister's entourage. "I can only thank the army for sending me with the prime minister. It was a great honor for my family and the city of Rahat. People haven't stopped calling me," he said. He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress
(Video: Reuters)
"People think that Israel is only Jews. But there are Druze and Bedouins, as the saying goes - one for all and all for one. It was strange for Americans to see a Bedouin Muslim serving in the army. But the prime minister explained it to them. I just want to say thank you to the people of Israel. Israel needs to look forward and completely eliminate Hamas. They shouldn't lift their heads. On October 7, they didn't distinguish between Bedouins and Jews."
In his speech before both houses of Congress in Washington, Netanyahu presented four soldiers who have demonstrated bravery since October 7, and who were present in the hall during the speech: Second Lieutenant Avichail Reuven from Paratroopers Brigade's 890th Battalion; Lieutenant Yonatan Ben Hamo from the Combat Engineering Corps; Lieutenant Asa Sofer, a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade; and Ashraf al-Bakhiri. Each soldier introduced by Netanyahu received standing ovations from the audience.