Hagay Dahan

Rising Above: Hagay’s Journey from the Battlefield to Beit Halochem

On October 7, Hagay Dahan’s life changed forever. Critically wounded while defending Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas attack, he was rushed to the hospital after being shot multiple times. He survived—but his true battle had only just begun.

“My name is Hagay Dahan. I enlisted in the Egoz Special Unit in March 2021. I went to sleep on October 6th one of the strongest guys in the world. By the morning of the 7th, everything was different.”

During the fighting, Hagay was shot in the neck. “I felt like I was drowning. I wanted to get my head above water, but something was holding me down.” When he woke up two days later, he could barely move or speak. “I noticed right away that I couldn’t move my right arm. I felt helpless. I didn’t remember anything that had happened.”

From that moment, a grueling rehabilitation journey began. Determined to regain his independence, Hagay pushed through physical, emotional, and mental challenges. It was during this process that he discovered Beit Halochem.

“Friends told me about Beit Halochem. I came for a visit and fell in love with the place. First of all, it’s a home. There’s a warm, embracing atmosphere. And when you can talk to someone who has gone through something similar, it changes everything.”

Beit Halochem (Israel’s Warrior Home) is a world-class rehabilitation and community center for wounded warriors. Offering physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, psychological care, peer support, sports, and adapted arts, it provides not only treatment but also a community that helps warriors rebuild their lives.

“Here, you don’t just come for exercise or therapy. You come for the people. The support. The sense that you are not alone.”

Friends of The Irgun is proud to support Beit Halochem and other life-changing programs for Israel’s wounded warriors and their families. Through this work, we ensure that heroes like Hagay can continue their journey of recovery - not just for weeks or months, but for a lifetime.