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Recalling nan Oct. 7 panic onslaught connected Israel — astir six months agone now — IDF worker Shalom Shitrit, 20, stood connected 1 limb pinch crutches and addressed complete 1,200 group astatine The Armon Hotel & Conference successful Stamford, Connecticut, connected March 2, 2024, to uncover what happened to him.
"I had nary thought that nan adjacent fewer minutes were going to alteration my life, nan lives of the group of Israel, and nan life of each Jew," he told nan assembled crowd, successful part.
He went connected to picture a horrific bid of events — and really he's yet arrived astatine a spot of dream arsenic he moves guardant without truthful galore others whose lives were cruelly taken by terrorists.
SURVIVOR OF HAMAS TERROR ATTACK ON ISRAEL RECOUNTS PAIN, GRIEF OF LOSING ‘ANGEL’ BOYFRIEND ON OCT. 7
Shitrit told Fox News Digital in a mates of telephone interviews that astir losing his life connected Oct. 7 has strengthened his faith. He said from Sheba Medical Center adjacent Tel Aviv successful Israel, wherever he's still undergoing therapy aft losing his limb successful nan attack.
He said he grew up successful a belief Jewish home, but for nan past 3 years, he'd not been keeping nan Shabbat. After Oct. 7, he felt a closer relationship to God and started watching Shabbat again, he said.
Shalom Shitrit, shown present successful 2 different photos, told Fox News Digital astir Oct. 7, 2023, "I had nary thought that nan adjacent fewer minutes were going to alteration my life, nan lives of nan group of Israel, and nan life of each Jew." Today, he useful difficult to promote others and stock dream and faith. (Courtesy Shalom Shitrit)
"If you unrecorded successful emunah (Hebrew for ‘faith’), it’s helping you … Any clip you don’t [have answers] to questions … I opportunity to myself, it’s for nan good," he said. "I really judge successful that. I unrecorded that."
Shitrit described what it was for illustration to beryllium stationed successful confederate Israel, conscionable 200 meters from nan Gaza border, connected that fateful day. (In telephone interviews, he was assisted by a friend who translated parts of his comments.)
The sanction of Shitrit’s brigade successful English is "the protectors of Kibbutz Be'eri," a close-knit cultivation organization successful nan Negev godforsaken known arsenic a bid kibbutz.
Lying successful a excavation of blood, he cupped his hands and smeared humor each complete his look and clothing truthful it would look arsenic if he'd been killed.
It was location to — arsenic conscionable 1 illustration — Vivian Silver, a 74-year-old grandma who habitually drove sick Palestinians from Gaza to Jerusalem truthful they could person due aesculapian care. Hamas terrorists murdered her and complete 130 different Be’eri residents.
They besides kidnapped 29 of nan astir 1,108 group who lived there, according to The Times of Israel — galore of whom dedicated their lives to helping Palestinians, arsenic Silver did.
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All told, astir 1,200 group were murdered successful Israel that day, according to aggregate reports. Kibbutz Be’eri was 1 of nan places astir gravely affected.
Shitrit had been operating extracurricular his guidelines that morning, wherever 25 different soldiers were stationed, he said. At 6:10 a.m., he said, he started receiving matter messages astir a imaginable panic onslaught successful Israel, and half an hr later, he heard rockets going disconnected overhead.
He and his squad recovered shelter successful a acquainted information area on nan border.
Shalom Shitrit is shown astatine correct pinch a friend, Noam Shahm, some successful nan IDF. (Courtesy Shalom Shitrit)
Shitrit’s commander, Tomer Barak, pointed to wherever he spotted a terrorist. Shitrit opened his mortar and ran toward nan area.
He told Fox News Digital that arsenic he turned a corner, he came look to look pinch terrorists.
"I saw 2 terrorists correct successful beforehand of my face, 1 metre betwixt us. In that moment, I conscionable opened fire. I killed them both, not earlier 1 of them managed to sprout my correct leg."
He kept a tight grip connected his weapon nan full time, peering done nan magnifier.
Shitrit dropped to nan crushed and called retired to his friends for help, hoping to get a tourniquet — but they were each fighting successful battle. About an hr and a half later, he said, he heard shouts successful Arabic and gunshots.
Shitrit remembered saying to himself, "If I stay, nan terrorists [might] find maine and [will] want to termination me."
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So, lying successful a excavation of blood, he cupped his hands and smeared humor each complete his look and clothing truthful it would look arsenic if he'd been killed.
He kept a tight grip connected his weapon nan full time, peering done nan magnifier. Shitrit changeable and killed an unsuspecting violent arsenic he walked past him.
‘Bleeding nonstop’
Getting up connected 1 leg, Shitrit hid by nan broadside of a wall. When he saw a grenade hurling toward his commander, Barak, and a chap soldier, Sagiv Cohen, he screamed to pass them — but pinch nan gunfire going off, they couldn’t escape. Only Cohen lived done that explosion.
The 2 men helped each different necktie tourniquets and took bullets from nan guns of friends who had been killed.
Fourteen soldiers successful Shitrit’s unit, who were each arsenic adjacent arsenic brothers, were killed — and five, including Shitrit and Cohen, were injured, Shitrit told Fox News Digital.
Shitrit was 1 of 11 survivors.
Cohen and Shitrit shielded their eyes from shrapnel arsenic they crawled nether an service vehicle. Shitrit remembered really nan soil felt for illustration bullets against his skin. He told Fox News Digital, "I conscionable closed my eyes. I was bleeding nonstop. I said my goodbyes."
From underneath nan car, Cohen saved their lives by fatally shooting 2 terrorists.
Shitrit and Cohen helped each different necktie tourniquets and took bullets from nan guns of friends who had been killed. They screamed for thief complete a radio. About half an hr later, an equipped conveyance arrived.
Shalom Shitrit successful nan infirmary aft he was rescued connected Oct. 7, 2023. At 1 point, amid nan weapon battles that day, he "said his goodbyes." (Courtesy Shalom Shitrit)
Profusely bleeding but still conscious, Shitrit remembered getting into nan vessel pinch his friend. Shortly afterward, he mislaid consciousness — for a afloat week.
Shitrit woke up heavy sedated astatine Soroka Medical Center, wherever he described experiencing horrific symptoms of post-traumatic accent upset (PTSD). He kept imagining location were terrorists adjacent him, and he was truthful traumatized he couldn’t slumber for 4 days.
Shitrit started hallucinating because of the medication he was taking. He requested to beryllium taken disconnected it erstwhile he was transferred to Sheba Medical Center — and was capable to slumber done nan nighttime again.
His limb was amputated — he underwent six surgeries, he said.
"You spot from their faces that [the released hostages] knowledgeable sedate trauma … A batch of them person signs of PTSD. They can’t beryllium calmly; they’re agitated."
At Sheba, Shitrit met pinch immoderate of nan released hostages who had been abducted from nan Supernova euphony festival, including 21-year-old French-Israeli female Mia Schem, who was changeable successful her arm, and Maya Regev, 21, and her brother, Itay Regev, 19, who were some changeable successful their legs.
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(Of nan astir 250 group who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists successful Israel connected Oct. 7, much than 40 were euphony show attendees — mostly young group successful their teens and 20s who had been astatine nan Supernova euphony festival, according to aggregate reports.)
Shitrit observed that while nan hostages seemed strong, they were apt suffering emotionally.
Shalom Shitrit told Fox News Digital astir nan Americans who are visiting Israel to thief nan Jewish group done volunteering and different humanitarian activities, "I want to opportunity convey you … We spot American group coming each nan measurement to Israel each nan time, and it’s very, very heartwarming." (Courtesy Shalom Shitrit)
He said, "They radiate strength, but you tin spot that they went done thing … They want to speak astir it successful nan media and [share] their stories astir what Hamas did, but you spot from their faces that they knowledgeable sedate trauma … A batch of them person signs of PTSD. They can’t beryllium calmly; they’re agitated."
He added, "We request to beryllium location for these people."
For his ain rehabilitative therapy, Shitrit goes to a curen halfway for wounded IDF soldiers successful Kiryat Ono, Israel, which is associated pinch nan nonprofit statement Belev Echad — which intends "One Heart" successful Hebrew. Belev Echad’s office are successful New York, but its location successful Israel is simply a treatment refuge for IDF soldiers who are recovering from beingness and affectional trauma.
‘Biggest shape of therapy’
Rabbi Uriel Vigler, laminitis of Bel Echad, said nan soldiers chiefly travel to nan location to beryllium successful nan institution of each different because "it’s for illustration nan biggest shape of therapy that location is."
When a worker looks into nan eyes of a chap warrior, "only they tin understand each other's pain."
He said that erstwhile a worker looks into nan eyes of a chap warrior, "only they tin understand each other's pain, only they tin understand what they person gone done — and [only they tin know] nan scenes of devastation they person seen together."
Since Oct. 7, location are astir 12,000 wounded soldiers, 1,500 of whom are being cared for astatine Belev Echad, nan rabbi said.
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Eight curen rooms, specified arsenic 1 for occupational therapy and different for beingness rehabilitation, were quickly built to accommodate their needs. The installation is besides equipped pinch a gym, martial arts room, and excavation for hydrotherapy sessions, Vigler said.
The halfway offers meals arsenic good arsenic physical, belief and psychological help. Staff members astatine Belev Echad, including a trainer who was besides changeable successful his legs, are wounded soldiers themselves, truthful they tin subordinate to nan patients they attraction for connected a individual level, he besides said.
Shalom Shitrit had to person his correct limb amputated aft nan injuries he suffered during nan panic onslaught connected Oct. 7, 2023 against Israel. (Courtesy Shalom Shitrit)
Despite nan tremendous symptom nan soldiers are in, "they’re happy to beryllium alive, truthful happy to beryllium pinch us," said Vigler. "You don’t get depressed spending clip pinch them. You really get inspired."
Shitrit often visits pinch chap soldiers astatine Shaba and Belev Echad.
The young worker started an inaugural called Kamim Mehadash, which intends "rise again" successful Hebrew. He arranges for bags of necessities, specified arsenic food, shampoo and headphones, to beryllium brought to soldiers connected service bases.
Shitrit besides speaks to different survivors successful Israel to inspire and uplift them.
"You could perceive a pin driblet while he spoke. People were crying, and past they were cheering."
He's besides flown to nan U.S. to springiness speeches successful New York City, Boston, Connecticut and elsewhere.
Recently, he told nan assemblage successful Stamford, Connecticut, that living done nan calamity of Oct. 7 taught him nan value of unity, particularly successful ray of nan governmental and belief divisions successful Israel earlier nan war.
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"Despite each nan symptom that I endured, nary matter really scary it was to beryllium an inch from death, I americium honored to springiness of myself, and to sacrifice my correct limb for nan liking of unity among nan Jewish people," he said.
"We are each 1 … Hug your Jewish brothers and sisters."
Robin Meyerson, laminitis and head of nan Arizona section of Project Inspire, a Jewish nonprofit statement that invited Shitrit to speak successful Connecticut, said, "I was successful nan assemblage … You could perceive a pin driblet while he spoke. People were crying, and past they were cheering."
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Regarding nan Americans who support Israel from afar, and those who sojourn Israel arsenic good to volunteer, Shitrit told Fox News Digital, "I want to opportunity convey you … We spot American group coming each nan measurement to Israel each nan time, and it’s very, very heartwarming."
He added, "I don’t person words."
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