A former IDF soldier gives hope to seriously wounded soldiers

Ex Israel Defense Forces Major Sagi Dovev spent 20 years training young soldiers in the Israeli army before retiring two years ago to start his own organization. But when he woke up on the morning of October 7, 2023, he realized that everything had changed.

“The sirens were everywhere. I knew exactly what was going on because I’m in a lot of WhatsApp groups for professional security,” Dovev told Fox News Digital. How he witnessed the atrocities live social networks by Hamas terrorists that day, he knew that a war had begun.

On the way to the base, his friends started calling him and telling him that his soldiers were wounded and were being sent away Shiba Medical Center. Daviev said he immediately turned around and headed for the hospital, where he saw helicopters dropping off dozens of wounded soldiers “every few minutes.”

He ended up staying with one of his soldiers the day he was rushed into surgery to have his leg amputated. But Dovev understood that he could not leave these soldiers.

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Pictures show the walls of a bomb shelter where people sought refuge six months ago before being killed in a deadly attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza on October 7, near Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, on April 7, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

“When I was called back to the base to train at the base, I said I can’t leave the soldiers here in the hospital. I have to stay here and train them here,’” he recalled. “And I’ve been doing this since October 7.”

Daviev, hand-to-hand combat and endurance trainer who previously served as the IDF’s Chief Close Combat Special Operations Trainer, has now been volunteering day and night at Sheba Hospital for over a year, helping wounded soldiers regain their strength and sense of purpose after being wounded in the long-running war in Gaza.

“It became even more than a job,” he explained.

Daviev has been sharing inspiring videos on his social media accounts, showcasing the incredible journeys these young men and women have gone through to regain not only their physical strength, but their mental strength as they battle devastating war injuries.

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Former IDF special forces major Sagi Dovev shares inspiring videos on his social media accounts about the training and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in the IDF. (Sagi Dovev/Instagram)

He shares stories like that of Elish Medan, who lost both legs in an explosion that killed four of his teammates and seriously injured four others.

“But his spirit is high and his resilience is strong. He wants us to remain united (inside and outside of Israel) and fight together for Israel’s future. I really hope that we will see him in the near future at the head of this country,” wrote Dovev, along with a video of Medan training with Dovev.

Stories like Dor Almog, a young soldier who was the only survivor after 21 of his teammates died in a terrorist attack. Daviev shared how Almog went from being put on a ventilator after the attack last January to learning to walk again and training in Krav Maga that summer.

Or stories like Gaia Zuberi, the first female soldier to be seriously wounded in Gaza.

“Only a month and a half after completing her training, Gaya was seriously injured while rescuing soldiers from a tank hit by an RPG in Sajaya. Gaya was wounded in both legs and was transported by helicopter in a serious condition,” he wrote in the social network. message in the media.

“During her five months of rehabilitation, Gaia underwent multiple operations but kept her fighting spirit. Her determination and resilience are truly inspiring. Gaia never wanted to be a hero; she just wanted to save lives. Even after her injury, she says she will do it all over again.” – said Dovev.

“I started teaching them how to fight again. How to walk again, how to fight without a leg. How to kick without a leg. How to control your body to learn a new body. And it became a big deal,” Dovev explained. on Fox News Digital.

“It made them feel like warriors again. Because one day they’re an elite fighter or an elite professional athlete, and the next day they need someone to help them shower or go to the bathroom. They have to learn a new skill, how to become sustainable again, he continued.

Sometimes that means sitting by these soldiers’ beds and cheering them on while they pass out.

“We’re starting to build it from the ground up, from the lowest point,” Dovev said, adding that each person’s road to rehabilitation can take anywhere from a few months to a year.

The proud Israeli believes his calling is to help these soldiers feel strong again and share their stories with the world, even as anti-Israel sentiment has spread around the world since the October 7 attacks.

The war between Israel and Hamas remains a divisive issue in the US, especially on campuses, where protest camps took over several elite universities last spring.

Pro-Palestinian protesters march from Columbia University to Hunter College.

Doveev, who has seen the cost of war with his own eyes, criticizes students who participate in anti-Israel protests.

“Ignorance is not an excuse,” Dovev said. “If any other group had been targeted, no one would have said, ‘it’s no big deal.’ But it’s a big deal.”

“They don’t know the situation,” he said of his interactions with students in the camps. “They can’t even point out where the river or the sea is,” meaning an anti-Semitic phrase often chanted at protests.

Dovev sees the fight against Hamas as a fight not only for his people, but also for the freedom of the entire Western world.

These are American hostages who were captured by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 and are being held in Gaza. Only Hersh Goldberg-Paulin (left) was returned to Israel after the IDF found him and other hostages killed by terrorists. Pictured next to Hersh are Ita Chen, Sagui Deckel-Chen, Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judy Weinstein, Haggai and Keith Siegel. (Photo by Fox News)

“This is the only Jewish land and this is what we fight for and this is what we die for. For this country, for democracy, for the Jewish people, for the Western world.”

“Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East,” he said, inviting critics of Israel to visit Tel Aviv and see for themselves the difference. “But if they come to Gaza, they’ll be thrown off the roof in five minutes if they’re LGBTQ.”

Doveau warned the Americans: “You do not want this radicalism to come to the United States. It has already started. Look at Canada. Look at Europe. We must stop the spread of Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS.”

Israel and Hamas again appear to be nearing a ceasefire that could end the 15-month war in Gaza and bring home dozens of Israelis held hostage there. Associated Press reported earlier this week.

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Both Israel and Hamas are under pressure from outgoing President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to reach an agreement before the January 20 inauguration. But the parties used to get closer, but the talks broke down due to various disagreements.

Trump was asked last week about the threats he first made in early December to the terrorist organization Hamas, which continues to hold dozens of hostages in Gaza, including seven Americans.

Israel is talking about a third the remaining 100 or so hostages diedbut believes that half may be dead, according to the Associated Press.

Trump told reporters that “all hell would break loose” if the hostages were not released by the time he took office.

Caitlin McFaul of The Associated Press and Fox News contributed to this report.