former 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 knew everything had changed.
“There were sirens everywhere. I knew exactly what was happening because I am a member of several WhatsApp groups for professional security,” Dovev told Fox News Digital. He also witnessed the atrocities being broadcast live Social media By Hamas terrorists that day, he knew the war had begun.
On his way to the base, his friends started calling him to tell him that his soldiers had been injured and that they would be sent there Sheba Medical Center. Dovev said he immediately turned around and headed to the hospital, where he saw helicopters landing dozens of injured soldiers “every few minutes.”
He ended up staying with one of his soldiers that day as he was rushed into surgery to amputate his leg. But Dovev realized that he could not leave these soldiers behind.
Pictures are displayed on the walls of a bomb shelter, where people took refuge six months ago before being killed during the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, near Kibbutz Beri in southern Israel, April 7, 2024. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
“When I was called back to the base to train on 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 that’s what I’ve been doing since October 7.”
Doviev, close combat and Flexibility coach Who previously served as the IDF’s chief special operations instructor, he has now spent more than a year volunteering day and night at Sheba Hospital, helping wounded soldiers regain their strength and sense of purpose after being injured in the ongoing war in Gaza.
“It’s become more than just a job,” he explained.
Duviv shares inspiring videos on his social media accounts showcasing the incredible journeys these young men and women went through to regain not only their physical strength, but also their mental strength, in dealing with devastating injuries caused by war.
Major Sagi Dovev, former IDF Special Unit Major, shares inspirational videos on his social media accounts about training and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in the IDF. (Sagi Dovev/Instagram)
He shares stories like that of Elisha Maidan, who lost both his legs as a result of an explosion that killed four of his colleagues and seriously injured four others.
“But his spirit is high and his resilience is strong. He wants us to stay united (inside and outside Israel) and fight together for Israel’s future. I truly hope that one day soon we will see him leading this country.” Dovev wrote alongside a video of Meydan training with Dovev.
Stories like the role of Almog, the young soldier who was the sole survivor after 21 of his colleagues were killed in a terrorist attack. Dovev shared how Almog went from being hooked up to a ventilator after the attack last January to learning to walk again to training in Krav Maga by that summer.
Or stories like that of Jaya Al-Zubairi, the first female soldier to be seriously injured in Gaza.
He wrote on his page on the social networking site, “Just a month and a half after completing her training, Jaya was seriously injured while rescuing soldiers from a tank that was hit by an RPG in Shujaiya. Jaya was injured in her legs and was airlifted in critical condition.” Media participation.
“During five months of rehabilitation, Jaya underwent numerous surgeries but maintained her fighting spirit. Her determination and resilience are truly inspiring. Jaya never wanted to be a hero; she simply wanted to save lives. Even after her injury, she says she will do that,” Dovev said. : “All of it again.”
“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 their bodies to learn their new bodies. And that became a big thing,” Dovev explained. For Fox News Digital.
“This is what made them feel like warriors again. Because one day they become elite fighters or elite professional athletes, and the next day they need someone to help them shower or help them go to the bathroom. They have to learn their new skills.” He continued: “How Bodies become flexible again, and they do.”
Sometimes that means sitting next to these soldiers’ beds and offering them words of encouragement while they remain unconscious.
“We start building it from scratch, from its lowest point,” Dovev said, saying each person’s rehabilitation journey can take several months to a year.
The proud Israeli feels it is his calling 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 United States, especially on college campuses, where protest camps took over several elite universities last spring.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march from Columbia University to Hunter College.
Dovev, who witnessed the costs of war firsthand, harshly criticized students participating in anti-Israel protests.
“Ignorance is no excuse,” Dovev said. “If any other group had been targeted, no one would say: ‘It’s not a big deal.’” But this is a big deal.”
“They don’t know the situation,” he said of his interactions with students in the camps. “They can’t even point to where the river or the sea is,” he said, referring to An anti-Semitic statement They often chant at protests.
Dovev believes that the fight against Hamas is not only to preserve his people, but also to preserve 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. Only Hirsch Goldberg-Poulin (left) was returned to Israel after the Israeli army found him and other hostages killed by terrorists. Pictured alongside Hirsch are Itai Chen, Sagi Dekel-Chen, Aidan Alexander, Omar Neutra, Gadi Hajji, Judy Weinstein Hajji, and Keith Siegel. (Fox News photo)
“This is the only Jewish land and this is what we are fighting for and what we are dying for. For this country, for democracy, for the Jewish people, for the Western world.”
He said that “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East,” and invited critics of Israel to visit Tel Aviv and see the difference for themselves. “However, if they came to Gaza, they would be thrown off the roof within five minutes if they were LGBT.”
Dovev warned the Americans, saying: “You do not want this extremism to come to the United States. It has already begun. Look at Canada. Look at Europe. We have to stop the spread of Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS.”
Israel and Hamas appear to be moving once again toward a ceasefire that could end the 15-month-old war in Gaza and return dozens of Israelis held hostage there. Associated Press I 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 president’s inauguration on January 20. But the two sides came close before, but the talks collapsed due to various disagreements.
Last week, Trump was asked about threats he first made in early December against the Hamas terrorist organization, which has continued to hold dozens of hostages, seven of them Americans, in Gaza.
Israel says about a third Nearly 100 remaining hostages diedThe Associated Press reported that up to half of them may have died, but it believes that as many as half of them may have died.
Trump told reporters that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages are not released by the time he takes office.
The Associated Press and Fox News’ Caitlin McFaul contributed to this report.
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