Israeli Nurse Shot By Hamas Terrorist
Another group of Calvary Chapel pastors also journeyed to Israel to visit the country in its darkest hour. They were emotionally stirred by many interactions—one of the most powerful being the testimony of nurse Michal Alon, shot as she aided a wounded soldier.
As explosions and gunfire erupted at an Israeli military base on October 7, 2023, a man wearing Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fatigues ran into the room where Michal was tending to a female soldier who had fallen. At first, she thought the man was there to help. But as she looked closer, he didn’t look like an IDF soldier. “He wasn’t young like the other soldiers,” she recalled. In that fleeting second, Michal understood that he was a Hamas terrorist disguised in an IDF uniform. He lifted his gun, looked her in the eye, and mercilessly shot her three times. Bullets hit her hand, stomach, and chest. His eyes moved to the unconscious IDF soldier lying on the ground. He didn’t waste his ammunition, as the unconscious soldier appeared to be dead.
Months later, Michal retold her horrific experience of that tragic day to a group of American Calvary Chapel pastors who had traveled to the Holy Land to encourage Israelis in their time of need.
Kendra Vazquez, wife of Pastor Anthony Vazquez of Calvary Chapel Dallas, GA, works with children of Ethiopian Jews to make care packages for Holocaust victims and elderly people who were evacuated. The refugee children, displaced themselves, see the value of helping others. The trip was organized by Stephen’s Gate Tours, led by Johanna Green.
Michal, her husband Omri, and eight of their 10 children had stayed overnight at the IDF training base before the Jewish holiday celebrating the Torah. It has been the family’s long-standing habit to support soldiers assigned to bases far from their homes during the holidays.
Michal remembered: “I woke up at 6:20 a.m. from a Boom!, and within five minutes, I heard the red alert alarm indicating an incoming rocket attack.” The family ran to the shelter. While there, Michal heard that a female IDF soldier had fallen, incurring a head injury. Soldiers moved the injured female from the area of danger and into Michal’s view. “I told them, ‘Listen, I’m a nurse.’ I told my husband and my kids that I [would] go help.”
Approaching the fallen soldier, Michal understood that the woman’s injury was not from a fall but from a shot to the head. Calling for assistance from nearby soldiers, they moved the injured soldier to a building where IDF soldiers stood guard. As shooting began to intensify outside, Michal looked up, watching in horror as the soldier guarding the entrance collapsed backwards toward her. “He was shot and fell into the room—he couldn’t breathe,” Michal tearfully recounted. “The soldiers asked if we could help him. I said, ‘I don’t think so,’ because his head was shot.”
It was then she looked up to see the Hamas terrorist in IDF fatigues enter and raise his gun to shoot her at close range.
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. Psalms 10:2
Michal’s quick thinking after the terrorist left likely saved her life. She explained, “I felt my hand hanging and it wasn’t in its place. I knew I was bleeding badly. I took my head covering and put it around my hand [like a tourniquet] to stop the bleeding.” Michal struggled to get back to her family, collapsing at the shelter entrance. Reunited with Omri and bleeding from multiple places, she expressed the need to get to a hospital. Omri used nearby clothing to apply pressure to her wounds to stop the bleeding. Michal was in pain but did not want the children to be terrified. “I was very scared what would happen to them seeing all of this. I tried smiling, saying, ‘I’m OK. It’s OK. Abba (Daddy) is here with me.’ And they were OK. They helped, asking if I wanted water or if the soldiers wanted water.”
Three hours later, they were evacuated to a nearby hospital. Because her injuries were so complex, she was transferred to Hadassah Hospital in the care of trauma specialists. She underwent several surgeries as well as arm reconstruction. Amidst Michal’s surgeries and recovery at the hospital, she received a special surprise: She learned that the female IDF soldier she had helped was still alive—and in the same hospital she was in. “Her parents came to speak to me, telling me how she is and what she said,” Michal offered. “Her dad is a doctor here. She is getting better every day.”
Nurse Michal Alon (right) is overcome with emotion during a visit from her twin sister after being shot three times by a terrorist on October 7, 2023. Visiting American Calvary Chapel pastors were impacted by her moving testimony.
“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.” Matthew 24:6 (NLT)
Jeff Cramer, pastor of Westminster Calvary in Westminster, CO, reacted to Michal’s testimony: “She said Jewish people heal by sharing stories with others. This 45-year-old mom with 10 kids, shot three times, stands here sharing what she went through. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus speaks about the End Times, cautioning, ‘You will hear of wars and rumors of wars (NKJV).’ In the [New Living Translation], it reads, ‘Don’t panic … these things must take place.’ Her story is a reflection of that. Don’t panic even in hard times. This is an anchor verse for me to go and support Israel in these hard times. Our tourism and our visits show a tremendous support for Israel.”
Pastor Greg Huston of CC Belfast, ME, was in the audience as Michal shared her story. “All of us in that room were touched by how evil [her experience] was and how fearlessly she moved ahead … sacrificially leaving [the shelter and her family] to help the soldier,” Greg said. “Her testimony was something to behold; her life is invested in helping people.”
Inspired by Michal’s testimony, the visiting group was equally impacted by their trip to Hostage Square; by a visit to an evacuated group of Ethiopian Jews whose village was close to the Gaza border; and by a Christian humanitarian aid center in Nazareth. Everyone the group encountered thanked them for supporting Israel as Israelis feel abandoned by the world.
Thank you for reading! If this story inspired you, we invite you to partner with us in continuing the ministry God started over 26 years ago. We appreciate your prayerful consideration in joining us to reach more souls for Jesus.
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