Yehuda Haisraeli running the Jerusalem Marathon
(Video: Eli Mendelbaum)
Yehuda Haisraeli was critically wounded in the 2014 Gaza War, but after a long rehabilitation process, that did not stop him from running in last Friday's annual Jerusalem Marathon.
“I am proud to run every day because it shows me that I am making progress,” said Haisraeli, who ran alongside his friends from the Sayeret Rimon unit of the Givati Brigade and the children of Shalva - The Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.
"I share this feeling with all the people of Israel, who I love,” he says.
The ex-special forces operative suffered a serious head injury from shrapnel during Operation Protective Edge while attempting to retrieve the body of Captain Hadar Goldin, who was killed and his body taken by Hamas terrorists during the 2014 Gaza operation.
Haisraeli was hospitalized for an extended period in a coma. After a long rehabilitation, he started communicating with his family and friends. He continued the rehabilitation process from his home in Ofra.
This year, more than 1,000 runners took part in the marathon as part of the Shalva project, including IDF soldiers, Magen David Adom volunteers, teenagers, children of Shalva, their families, and other volunteers of the NGO.