The first Israel Defense Forces Major Sagi Dovev spent 20 years training junior 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 that everything had changed.
“Sirens were everywhere. I knew exactly what was happening because I was in many WhatsApp groups for professional security,” Dovev told Fox News Digital. As he saw the atrocities broadcasted live social media with Hamas terrorists that day, he knew that the war had begun.
On the way there, his friends started calling him to tell him that his soldiers were wounded and that they had been sent Sheba Medical Center. Dovev said he immediately turned around and headed to the hospital where he saw helicopters dropping off dozens of wounded soldiers “every minute.”
He ended up staying with one of his soldiers that day when he was rushed into surgery to have his leg amputated. But Dovev realized that he could not leave these soldiers.
FAMILIES OF ISRAEL HOSAGES HOLD A PARK PARTY, CALL BIDEN, TRUMP TO BRING THEIR LOVED ONES HOME.
Pictures are placed on the walls of the bomb shelter, where, six months ago, people sought refuge before being killed during the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, near Kibbutz Beeri in south of Israel, April 7, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
“When I was called to go 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 to train them here,” he recalled. And that's what I've been doing since October 7th.
Dovev, the battle is near endurance coach who previously worked as the head trainer of the IDF's special warfare, has spent more than a year now volunteering around the clock at Sheba Hospital, helping wounded soldiers regain strength and purpose after 'a was injured in the ongoing war in Gaza.
“It became more than a job,” he explained.
Dovev shares inspiring videos on his social media accounts that show the incredible journeys these young men and women have gone through to find not only their physical strength, but also their mental strength, when they deal with the terrible dangers of war.
Former IDF special agent Sagi Dovev shares inspirational videos on her social media accounts about training and rehabilitating 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 colleagues and seriously injured four others.
“But his spirit is high and his determination is strong. He wants us to stay united (inside and outside of Israel) and fight together for the future of Israel. I really hope that we will see him one day soon, leading this country; ” Dovev wrote along with a video of Medan and Dovev training.
Stories like Dor Almog, a young soldier who was the only survivor after 21 of his colleagues died in a terrorist attack. Dovev shared how Almog went from being chained to a ventilator after last January's attack to learning to walk again to training in Krav Maga that summer.
Or stories like that of Gaya Zubery, the first female soldier to be seriously injured in Gaza.
“Just a month and a half after completing his training, Gaya was critically injured while rescuing soldiers from a tank that had been hit by an RPG in Saja'iyya. Gaya injuries to both legs and was airlifted in critical condition,” he wrote to the public. news post.
“During the five months of rehabilitation, Gaya underwent several surgeries but kept her fighting spirit. Her determination and tenacity are inspiring. Gaya never wanted to be a hero; she he just wanted to save lives. Even after his accident, he says he will do it again, “said Dovev.
“I started teaching them how to fight again. How to walk again, how to fight without a leg. How to strike without a leg. How to control their body to learn their new body.' And that turned out to be a big thing,” Dovev explained to Fox News Digital.
“This is what 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 wash or help them go in the bathroom. They have to learn their bodies, how to be stable again,” he continued.
Sometimes that means staying at these soldiers' beds and offering words of encouragement while they are unconscious.
“We start building it from scratch, from their lowest point,” said Dovev, adding that an individual's journey to rehabilitation can take several months to a period of year.
Proud Israel hears his call to help these soldiers feel strong again and share their stories with the world, as anti-Israel sentiment has spread throughout the world since the attacks October 7th.
The war between Israel and Hamas remains a divisive issue in America, especially on college campuses, where protest camps took over several top universities last year.
Pro-Palestine protesters march from Columbia University to Hunter College.
Dovev, who has personally seen the costs of the war, criticized the students who participate in anti-Israel protests.
“Ignorance is no excuse,” Dovev said. “If another group was targeted, no one would say, 'no big deal.' But, this is a big deal.”
“They don't know the situation,” he said of his interactions with students on campus. “They can't even point where the river or the sea” is, he said antisemitic phrase which is often sung during protests.
Dovev sees the fight against Hamas as a fight to save not only his people but also the freedom of the entire western world.
These are the American hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023 and held in Gaza. Only Hersh Goldberg-Polin (left) was returned to Israel after the IDF found him and other hostages killed by terrorists. Pictured next to 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 state 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 Israeli critics to visit Tel Aviv and see for themselves the difference. “However if they get 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 to come to the United States. It has already started. Look at Canada. Look at Europe. We have to stop the spread of Hamas and Hezbollah and ISIS.”
Israel and Hamas also appear close to a cease-fire that could end the 15-month conflict in Gaza and return many of the Israeli exiles there. Associated Press reported earlier this week.
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Both Israel and Hamas are under pressure from incumbent President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to reach an agreement before the Jan. 20 inauguration. But the parties have been close before, but the negotiations collapsed due to various disagreements.
Last week, Trump was asked about the threats he made for the first time in early December to the terrorist organization Hamas which has continued to hold many hostages, including seven Americans, in Gaza.
Israel says about a third of the about 100 prisoners remain deadbut it believes that about half may have died, reports the Associated Press.
Trump told reporters that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages were not released when he took office.
The Associated Press and Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.