October 3, 2026
Omar Yanez was practically shaken out of bed Saturday morning by the siren alarms that were blaring outside his apartment in Jerusalem.
Yanez, who earned his Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is in Jerusalem to study the Hebrew language, said he had no idea what was happening.
The Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, launched a surprise attack on Israel last weekend. In the attack, Hamas sent thousands of rockets and armed forces into Israel. More than 900 people, including 73 soldiers, already have been killed in Israel, according to media reports. In Gaza, more than 680 people have been killed, according to authorities there; Israel says hundreds of Hamas fighters are among them. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.
Yanez, who is from Peru, said he and his roommate went to the downstairs apartment where two other friends lived. “We didn’t know what to do,” he said. “That moment was kind of scary. It (the missiles) stopped, and we didn’t have any more missiles until today (Monday).”
Saturday’s assault was the worst breach of Israel’s defense systems since armies from Arab states attacked in 1973, touching off the three-week long Yom Kippur War.
“Before all this happened, everybody was just partying,” he said. “People were not thinking about protecting the country,” Yanez said. It was the last day of the Jewish high holiday season.
One of the incoming missiles hit a Muslim mosque, he said. Most businesses were closed along with the schools. The school where he is learning the Hebrew language was supposed to start Tuesday, but it was cancelled.
Yanez, 42, said his long-range goal is to plant a seminary in Peru and teach. For now, though, he said he is a little on edge with all that is happening. It has been a time of fear and confusion — as well as displays of loyalty. He said many Israeli citizens are leaving to go to war.
“We don’t know if they will be back or not,” he said. “Everybody wants to know what’s going on. We don’t know when the missiles or rockets are going to come.”
“This is what I think. The Israeli Army is very strong. They are going to defeat Hamas, but that’s going to take a while.”
Yanez said, meanwhile, he is trusting in the Lord.
“God has his plan. He brought me here. He has a reason and I’m trying to be open to that.”
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