Israel (MNN) — On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The warrants accused them of war crimes in the war in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7 attacks.
The ICC’s move underscores international scrutiny on Israel’s military, which faces the complexities of fighting a terrorist organization that embeds itself among civilians.
Sasson Pochtar, left (Photo courtesy of Sasson Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation)
As the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) navigate the challenges of war, the stories of individual soldiers offer a unique perspective.
Sasson Pochtar is a youth pastor at Beit Hallel Congregation and serves in Israel’s military. As a Messianic Jew in the IDF, Pochtar says, “We’re fighting against terror, and we’re fighting spiritual warfare as well.”
Pochtar describes how his faith has opened surprising opportunities for the Gospel even amidst the conflict. He wears an Icthus patch — the Christian symbol of a fish — on his IDF uniform.
“From day one, people were asking many questions. They see that I’m kind of different than others, especially on social media. My social media is so open about my life, and they were like, ‘Are you a pastor? You’re a Jewish guy. How does that work? How can you be a pastor?’
“So, I said, ‘Yeah, well, I’m a Jew [and] I believe in Jesus, that He’s the Messiah, He’s the Christ, and He’s the Savior of the world.’ And from that, it just developed many, many different talks.”
Pochtar asks fellow believers to pray for the Israeli people. Your prayers have an impact and are an encouragement to Israeli believers representing Christ. “I’m always saying to my friends, ‘By the way, I just had a talk with friends in the States or in Europe, and they are praying for you.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, what do you mean?'”
(Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)
Please also pray for Gospel opportunities across Israel.
“We just need more prayers for wisdom and for love — love, love and love. This is the biggest thing that I think we need to pray is to love,” says Pochtar. “I came to a point that I had many questions about that, but I really realized that I don’t hate my enemy. I’m actually blessing my enemy.”
Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation’s ministry in Israel.
Header photo of Israel flag. (Photo courtesy of Stanislav Vdovin/Unsplash)
