Itai Edelshtein

A New Battle: My Journey of Recovery

My name is Itai, and like so many others, my life changed forever on October 7. That morning, my commander called me and I was immediately deployed to the south, to the Zikim area, where I spent a week fighting against terrorists. Afterward, my unit entered Gaza as part of the ground operation.

On November 18, during an operation in a six–story building, we cleared the floor and even took a picture to mark the moment. Ten minutes later, everything changed. I felt a boom and fell to the floor in terrible pain. I asked my team to help me reach the medic point. It took 2.5 hours to evacuate me to Soroka Hospital. I was sedated for three days and hospitalized for a month.

Only then did the doctors tell me: I had been shot in the head. The bullet is still there.

This was when I realized that I am in a new war - rehabilitation. The physical, mental, and emotional recovery has been long and difficult. But I made a choice. I decided not to focus on the pain and the injury. I have to focus on my family - on my wife and my child.

Through every step of this journey, the volunteers and employees of The Irgun have stood by me and my family. From the first days after my injury, they were there - supporting us daily, making sure we never felt alone. For me, their presence and support has been vital.

Today, I continue walking the long road of recovery, but I do it with hope, with determination, and with the knowledge that I am part of a family that will never let me fall behind.