Doctor and Fighter: Family Physician Who Battled Terrorists on October 7th

Dr. Michael Bass, a beloved family doctor for Maccabi Healthcare Services from Kibbutz Nirim, found himself in the midst of battle on October 7th, three years after immigrating to Israel. He had initially been sent to assist war refugees in Ukraine but was present in Israel during the Hamas attack. Dr. Bass, who is part of the Nirim kibbutz emergency squad, initially dismissed the early morning alarms as routine for the Gaza border region. However, receiving reports of terrorist infiltrations and widespread alerts across the country, he realized the severity of the situation. He contacted his fellow emergency squad members, gathered his equipment, and headed to their meeting point, joined by an off-duty police officer. Around 8:00 AM, while patrolling the kibbutz perimeter, they encountered a terrorist cell attempting to infiltrate the kibbutz. Dr. Bass recounted that in this initial engagement, he personally killed three terrorists, emptying an entire magazine. He stated, "I received alerts from other kibbutz members about terrorists, and that there were murdered and kidnapped people. I immediately understood that as part of my role as an emergency squad member, I had to save the kibbutz and go fight. The moment we saw the terrorists, we began a battle I will never forget; I fired a whole magazine and watched them fall one by one."

Following the first clash, dozens more terrorists approached the kibbutz fence. The outnumbered emergency squad was forced to retreat to a watchtower to gain a tactical advantage and await reinforcements. After several hours, commandos from the Commando Brigade arrived and joined forces with the kibbutz emergency squad. Together, they launched a renewed assault, clearing the kibbutz of terrorists. Dr. We understood we didn't have the capability to fight them and that it was better to go up to the watchtower to have an intelligence advantage and wait for the forces to fight them. When the forces arrived, we charged them under fire, and together we cleared the kibbutz." Residents remained sheltered in their homes for hours until the kibbutz was secured. After the clearing, Dr. Bass assisted security forces in evacuating civilians. Dr. Bass immigrated alone from Russia in 2013 at the age of 24 through a Jewish Agency program for doctors. After completing his medical training in Israel, he enlisted in the IDF's Combat Engineering Corps as a combat medic. He currently serves as a family doctor in southern Israel. He explained that during his military service, he spent considerable time on the Gaza border, which led him to love the region and its people. After his discharge, he and his wife decided to settle in Kibbutz Nirim, finding a warm and supportive community. "When I immigrated to Israel alone and my family remained in Russia, it was difficult for me, whether it was being alone in a foreign country, adapting to a new reality, and initially living in various absorption centers. It was important for me to establish my family in a place that would be like one big family. The kibbutz immediately welcomed us with open arms, and I understood that I had found the place I was looking for." Dr. Bass emphasized that the Gaza border region and the kibbutz are his home, and he will not give them up under any circumstances.