The lives of Ziv and Rotem, a couple of Israeli reservists who got engaged shortly before the Gaza war, were turned upside down when, in the midst of their wedding preparations, Ziv was severely wounded by a Hezbollah drone.
The attack left him with injuries to his head, abdomen, arms and legs. But Rotem made it clear to the doctors that he had to be back on his feet as soon as possible.
Ziv, determined not to give up on his plans, even insisted on going for a suit fitting during his grueling rehabilitation: “I told the doctors, ‘At the very least, I want to break the glass at the wedding.’”
The love story of Ziv Peleg and Rotem Helin began like many others. A couple in love; he from Yesud HaMa'ala, she from Tzur Yigal, who dated for five years before Ziv proposed, three months before the Gaza war broke out.
But since the Saturday that changed Israel forever, their lives have been on a rollercoaster, emotionally, physically and romantically.
Ziv, 31, met Rotem, 28, while they were both students at Tel-Hai College in northern Israel. In July 2023, just after completing a month-long reserve duty as a captain in Battalion 8103 of the Etzioni Brigade, he got down on one knee and proposed to Rotem, a Warrant officer in the reserves and a Home Front Command rescue and recovery specialist.
“A month later, we already had a wedding date, July 4, 2024,” Rotem said. “Then the war began, and we were both called up. Ziv served four months, then another three. I was in for two months.
"During Ziv’s first deployment, we barely saw or spoke to each other. It was the first time we’d gone that long without talking. It was really hard. I had no idea what was happening with him. Even during the second round, we barely saw each other, but at least we spoke on the phone. And then Ziv was wounded, and while he was still in rehab, I was called up again.”
Did you consider postponing the wedding?
“Absolutely not,” Rotem said. “I never had any doubt that we would get married. Postponing the wedding didn’t even cross our minds."
On April 17, 2024, just two and a half months before their planned wedding date, Rotem received a push notification from the Israeli news site Ynet. She had no idea it would change her life.
An explosive-laden drone had struck a building in the western Galilee village of Arab al-Aramshe, where Israeli soldiers were stationed. Hezbollah continued firing rockets and mortars afterward, targeting the rescue teams as well.
A Magen David Adom paramedic reported at the time: “We pulled a man in his 30s out of the building with injuries to his head and limbs. We gave him lifesaving treatment, sedated and intubated him, and evacuated him to the hospital in serious condition.”
Rotem read the report, and only later realized that the wounded man was her fiancé, serving in the reserves.
“No one called to tell me,” she said. “I read everything on Ynet. I saw the words ‘community center in Arab al-Aramshe,’ ‘injuries,’ ‘missile,’ and I thought to myself, ‘No way, Ziv is there.’ I tried calling him, and he didn’t answer.”
In those terrifying moments, Rotem refused to stop until she learned what had happened to Ziv. “I tried calling a friend of ours who was serving with him, but he didn’t answer either. In the end I reached someone.
"The worst-case scenario never even entered my mind. I was optimistic. All I thought was, ‘Poor guy, he must be in pain.’ Not getting married? That didn’t cross my mind for a second."
Do you remember what scared you?
“I was constantly afraid that Ziv would be sent to reserve duty right before the wedding. It’s such a sensitive time, and that’s always when things seem to happen. You know what the first thing he’d say to me was, whenever he called? ‘But Rotem, everything’s fine; just think, at least I won’t be on reserve duty by the time of the wedding.’ Then, a day after he was wounded, I was wondering, 'OK, wait a minute, when can he walk again? We’ll be out of here in a week, right?’”
The DJ came to the hospital
Eighteen soldiers were wounded in the incident. Two, including Ziv, were seriously hurt.
His deputy company commander, Maj. (res.) Dor Zimel, was critically wounded and fought for his life at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, where his family and fiancée, Shir, who had accepted his marriage proposal during the war, remained by his side, until he succumbed to his injuries.
The engagement ring was given to Zimel as a gift by Alon Mesika, a diamond dealer and the father of Adir Mesika, who was killed at the Nova festival. Alon Mesika had vowed to gift engagement rings to any combat soldier who wished to propose during the war.
“It was a very difficult situation,” Ziv said. “We were both engaged, Dor and I. We had such similar stories.”
Rotem: “The head of the rehabilitation unit quickly understood who he was dealing with. He gave us permission to leave the hospital for a few hours to take care of errands and to have Ziv’s suit fitted.”
Ziv: “And even that wasn’t easy. Every few days the swelling would go down, and they’d have to readjust the pants. I was discharged just one week before the wedding.”
The parents of the late Maj. (res.) Zimel, Alon and Sharon, attended the wedding of Ziv and Rotem.
“The injury brought all the families together,” Rotem said. “They were both wounded on a Wednesday. That weekend, we all stayed at the hospital together, and even had Friday night dinner as one big group.
"The injury created this deep bond between the platoon, the families, the wounded soldiers. It felt natural to invite everyone to the wedding. It was incredibly moving that they came."
Ziv: “Dor’s father, Alon, also came to visit me at the hospital. His mother, Sharon, had been avoiding weddings that year, but she came to ours, at least for the reception. It really mattered to her to come and wish us well. That meant a lot to us."
After ten days in the Nahariya Medical Center, Ziv was transferred to Rabin Medical Center, and about a month later, he began rehabilitation. “I was seriously wounded,” he said. “Shrapnel in my abdomen, legs, arms and head. The slowest recovery was in the leg and stomach. I needed surgery to remove the shrapnel, and in my foot, the bones were shattered."
So did you just tell the doctors, ‘Listen, I’ve got a wedding in July, I need to break the glass’?
“I told the doctors, ‘At the very least, I want to break the glass at the wedding.’ That was the goal.
"But the doctors weren’t eager to talk about it. It was an open fracture, so beyond healing the bones, there was also the matter of closing the wound. That alone took nearly three months.
"I had to be hooked up to a medical device the entire time, which made rehab even harder. The only removed it only two weeks before the wedding, and then we started working intensively on getting me to put weight on the foot."
“I’ll explain it better,” Rotem added. “The device is called VAC. It drains blood and fluids from the wound to help it heal faster. But the problem is you have to carry it everywhere; shower with it, sleep with it, everything. It’s a whole setup. You carry it around in a special bag.
The doctors really wouldn’t let us get rid of it until two weeks before the wedding. I kept pestering the doctors: ‘So, how much longer does he need to have this?’ Because as long as he had it, he couldn’t step on that foot. When they finally removed it, that was our happiest moment."
How did he choose wedding clothes with that device still attached?
Rotem: “I didn't let him give up. Dr. Bahar, the Rehabilitation Unit Director, already knew who he was dealing with and gave us permission to leave the hospital for a few hours to get things done.
"I really pushed everyone there. A family-owned shop called Roberto at the Azrieli Mall donated Ziv’s suit and tailored it for him."
“It wasn’t easy,” Ziv added. “The first time I went to the shop, my leg was still very swollen. They had to keep adjusting the pants until just days before the wedding, since the swelling kept going down.
"Luckily, one of my friends from my regular army service took care of the rings, and even the DJ came to the hospital to meet with us. I was officially released for rehabilitation at the end of June, one week before the wedding."
A sixth round in Gaza
A year has passed since the wedding, and the couple finally managed to take their honeymoon in Mexico, after Rotem completed her fourth round of three-month reserve duty this past July. With the war ongoing, a return to normal life remains elusive, but they’re doing their best.
Rotem, a clinical dietitian, is starting a new path in medical device marketing. Ziv didn’t take much time off either. He went straight from rehabilitation back to work at the schnitzel factory in Kiryat Shmona.
“Just over six months after my injury, I returned to my job as head of food safety at Tnuva Galil plant,” he said.
“I’d always talked about going back to reserve duty, and during the war with Iran, I finally did. It was a different kind of role, but still with the same platoon. It did not involve dangerous missions. Right now, we’re in our sixth round in Gaza, for three and a half months.”
Rotem: “Honestly, not much has changed this past year. Reserve duty, work, the usual. I don’t think it’ll change until the war ends."
And what about your personal life?
Rotem: “We’re planning to build a house in Yesud HaMa'ala. In the meantime, we have a dog, Leo, named after Leo Messi."
Where do you see yourselves a year from now?
“With twins,” they laugh. “I see us,” Rotem said, “in our new house, sitting with Leo, and maybe a baby or two; no reserve duty, both settled into our careers, sipping a glass of wine on the porch under the pergola, overlooking the Golan Heights.”