As of: February 1, 2024, 7:16 p.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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When Hamas attacked, it was immediately clear to Yoav Budner: he wanted to fight.
The reservist talks to IPPEN.MEDIA about terrible moments and a moral dilemma.
Frankfurt – Yoav Budner is 35 years old and self-employed.
On October 7th, sirens woke his girlfriend and him from their sleep.
Bombs in the middle of Tel Aviv.
At first he couldn't believe the extent of Hamas' attack that day.
3,000 terrorists invaded Israel.
Unimaginable, even months later.
A conversation with
IPPEN.MEDIA
about brutal terror, the smell of war and the lost feeling of security.
Yoav Budner (35) experienced terrible things in the fight against Hamas: In a few weeks, the reserve soldier may return to war.
© Private
Mr. Budner, how did you experience the outbreak of war in Israel?
The first day hurt us very, very hard.
Hamas carried out massacres in so many places.
At the end of the day, I wanted to get into the fight.
Most people in Israel want that. We love our army, it protects us.
There is no gap here between you as a citizen and you as a soldier.
It feels natural to protect your home.
So are you fighting voluntarily?
Yes.
I don't feel like a Russian soldier who has been drafted.
I've been pestering my commanders about when we're going to leave.
It was my free decision.
When did you go into battle?
That evening my girlfriend took me to the train station, hugged me and cried.
It's very similar for most people.
This is the hardest part: saying goodbye to everyone you love.
You say goodbye, then you go and save people.
That means?
I was sent to kibbutzes that managed to defend themselves but were not safe.
We looked for terrorists there.
It took us a week to free Israel from them.
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Hamas terrorists devastate Israel: “These were the most shocking moments of this war for me”
What did you see in the kibbutz?
These were the most shocking moments of this war for me.
Walking through a kibbutz and seeing the blood, burned houses, burnt cars and Hamas weapons... seeing what happened was hard to bear.
You can't describe that.
I couldn't imagine ever being in a situation like that.
Why was it so hard?
The terrorists went around and did whatever they wanted.
I wonder: How could we not be prepared?
Maybe it's because it's hard to constantly guard a border.
We were worn down and Hamas knew it. We were not as alert and ready as we would have liked.
The Israeli military is considered one of the best in the world.
What makes you think it was a surprise?
There is a special unit, the Sayeret Matkal.
We all look up to them.
Even they were surprised by the scale of the attack.
A unit with nine elite soldiers landed on a kibbutz.
They thought there were maybe 20 terrorists and they would finish them off in seconds.
But there were 100. The unit lost four men right there and then.
This shows how chaotic and unexpected the situation was.
Have you been involved in fights yourself?
Not exactly, we were lucky.
My unit killed maybe 20 terrorists.
However, only with air strikes that we request on their position.
We have already fired, but never aimed, only as a deterrent.
Most of the others weren't so lucky; there was a lot of fighting in Israel.
Soldiers from Israel collected dead people at the border fence with Gaza: “That has become the smell of war for me”
What was the hardest task during your time at the Font?
We had to go to the border fence with Gaza and pick up the dead there.
We found women and children.
Many were so badly decomposed that they were no longer recognizable.
I remember the smell well, that has become the smell of war for me.
Between all of this, are there any good moments that you remember?
Oh yeah!
There are many good moments.
We tried to always keep the spirits high.
We played board games whenever possible - even when we were stationed in Gaza.
Those were the most important parts of the day, we played music and sang.
I also remember some of the shifts well, where you have a lot of time and often have good, in-depth conversations.
220 soldiers died in the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza.
What did you do in Gaza City?
We arrived in Gaza City four weeks after the war began.
My main task was to clear roads there for fleeing people.
Hundreds of thousands have moved south.
We had to protect them from Hamas, who wanted to wreak havoc there and produce unpleasant images for the world.
Can the war in Israel end?
“Our only choice would be to trust Hamas”
You are talking about civilians who have been hit very hard by Israel's counteroffensive.
Last but not least, Hamas used innocent people as a protective shield.
A moral dilemma?
This is hell.
But I know that everyone did their best to prevent any unnecessary death.
Unfortunately, every war also affects the civilian population.
At least Israel is not hiding the numbers.
And as bitter as it is, our quota is good compared to other wars.
So far, for every dead terrorist there are around two dead civilians.
That's still terrible, but every other war had worse numbers.
Nevertheless, critical voices are increasing.
The International Court of Justice calls it genocide and ruled that Israel must better protect the civilian population.
Over 26,000 people have died.
Should Israel end the counteroffensive?
Yes, among other things, the families of the hostages want the army to stop.
I would support that too if it were that easy.
But if you think about it, Hamas has absolutely no reason to actually release all of the hostages.
This is the only card she still has in her hand.
Our only choice would be to trust Hamas, but you can't do that.
However, that doesn't lead to more deaths...
I fought in Gaza.
I can understand how the world feels and it's hard for me too.
I have been to terrorists' destroyed houses and there was evidence that the residents supported Hamas.
But there were also children's rooms.
Some people don't care, the people of Israel are really hurt and angry.
So the fighting inevitably continues?
Israel has reached a point where we can no longer go back.
To avoid future bloodshed.
Even the ceasefire didn't feel good to us.
Every time we do something in Gaza, sooner or later everything comes back.
If we allow this to happen again, all the people who died will have been in vain.
That's why we want to finish it now.
That's what many people in Israel think.
What needs to happen so that people in Israel feel safe again?
I don't know it.
Nobody has the answer.
There are crazy people who say we should wipe them all out.
But that can't be it.
I think Israel has a big lesson to learn from this war.
About how we defend ourselves.
We must also do more to resolve this conflict peacefully.
The interview was conducted by Moritz Bletzinger. The conversation was conducted in English and translated into German by the author.