Former IDF solider offers hope to severely wounded troops

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

“Sirens could be heard everywhere. I knew exactly what was going on because I’m in a lot of WhatsApp groups for work reasons,” Dovev told Fox News Digital. So he witnessed the atrocities broadcast live social media When he was visited by Hamas terrorists that day, he knew the war had begun.

On the way to the base, friends called him and told him that his soldiers had been wounded and were being sent there Sheba Medical Center. Dovev said he immediately turned around and went to the hospital, where he saw helicopters dropping off dozens of wounded soldiers “every few minutes.”

He ended up staying with one of his soldiers that day as he was taken to surgery to have his leg amputated. But Dovev realized he couldn’t leave these soldiers behind.

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

“When I was called back to base to train, 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 that since October 7th.”

Dovev, a melee and Resilience trainer Formerly the IDF’s head close combat special operations officer, he has now been volunteering day and night at Sheba Hospital for over a year, helping wounded soldiers regain their strength and purpose after being injured in the ongoing war in Gaza.

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

Dovev shares inspirational videos on his social media accounts that show the incredible journeys these young men and women took to restore not only their physical strength, but also their mental strength in dealing with the devastating injuries of war.

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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 tells stories like that of Elisha Medan, who lost both legs in an explosion that killed four of his teammates and critically injured four others.

“But his spirit is high and his resilience is strong. He wants us to stay united (inside and outside of Israel) and fight together for Israel’s future. I really hope that one day soon we will see him at the helm of this country.” Dovev wrote alongside a video from 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. Dovev recounted how Almog was no longer on a ventilator after the attack last January, learned to walk again and trained in Krav Maga over the summer.

Or stories like that of Gaya Zubery, the first seriously wounded soldier in Gaza.

“Just a month and a half after completing her training, Gaya was seriously injured while rescuing soldiers from a tank hit by an RPG in Saja’iyya. Gaya was injured in both legs and was flown out in critical condition,” he wrote in the social media release media post.

“During the five months of rehabilitation, Gaya underwent numerous surgeries but maintained her fighting spirit. Your determination and resilience are truly inspiring. Gaya never wanted to be a heroine; she just wanted to save lives. She says she would do it even after her injury. “All over again,” Dovev said.

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

“It made them feel like warriors again. Because one day they are elite fighters or elite professional athletes and the next day they need someone to help them shower or go to the toilet. You have to learn your new body, how to become resilient again. And they do,” he continued.

Sometimes that means sitting by these soldiers’ bedsides and saying encouraging words while they remain unconscious.

“We start building from the ground up, from the lowest point,” Dovev said, saying each individual’s path to rehabilitation can take several months to a year.

The proud Israeli sees his calling in helping these soldiers feel strong again and sharing their stories with the world, even as anti-Israel sentiment has spread worldwide since the October 7 attacks.

The war between Israel and Hamas remains a contentious issue in the United States, particularly on college campuses, where protest camps occupied several elite universities last spring.

Pro-Palestinian protesters walk from Columbia University down to Hunter College.

Dovev, who has seen the costs of war firsthand, was outspoken in his criticism of students participating in anti-Israel protests.

“Ignorance is no excuse,” Dovev said. “If another group were targeted, no one would say, ‘It’s no big deal.’ But this is a big deal.”

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

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

These are the American hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 and held in Gaza. Nur Hersh Goldberg-Polin (left) was returned to Israel after the IDF found him and other hostages killed by terrorists. Pictured alongside Hersh are Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai and Keith Siegel. (Fox News photo)

“This is the only Jewish country and this is what we fight for and 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 the difference for themselves. “But when they come to Gaza, they will be thrown off the roof in five minutes if they are LGBTQ.”

Dovev warned Americans: “You don’t want this radicalism coming to the United States. It has already begun. Look at Canada. Look at Europe. We must stop the spread of Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS.”

Israel and Hamas appear to be moving toward a new ceasefire that could end the 15-month war in Gaza and bring home dozens of Israelis held hostage there. the 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 Jan. 20 inauguration. But the sides have come close before, only to fall apart over various disagreements.

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

Israel says about a third of that The remaining nearly 100 hostages diedbut believes up to half could be dead, the Associated Press reported.

Trump told reporters that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages are not freed by the time he takes office.

Caitlin McFall of the Associated Press and Fox News contributed to this report.