The Red Cross’s Jewish Problem
17 min read
IDF reservist Yoav Tzivoni was vacationing in Sinai when war broke out. Within 12 hours, he was heading back to Israel for a rescue mission that would change his life forever.
On October 7th, IDF soldier Yoav Tzivoni was on vacation in Egypt, at the Sinai peninsula.
“There was this man that was jogging on the beach who told us there were heavy rocket attacks on the south,” Tzivoni told Aish.com. “I grew up in in a moshav next to Ashdod, about 16 miles from Gaza. So for me, rocket attacks are nothing new.”
But hearing how intense the attacks were, Tzivoni went online to see what was going on.
“I opened (the messaging app) Telegram and I see pickup trucks with fully armed terrorists shooting. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was like, ‘This is crazy, but they're probably going to take care of that five minutes ago.’ But more and more videos started coming in and I realized that something very bad was happening.”
Tzivoni packed up as fast as possible and started heading back to Israel.
There I was – 7AM on vacation and then 7 PM at the base, preparing for war.
He went straight to his parents’ house where he kept an emergency duffel bag. “It’s big and has everything you need to survive, including a lot of military gear. I call it my apocalypse bag; it has everything you need to be ready for anything!”
With his bag in tow, he drove to his military base to meet his fellow soldiers and figure out what was happening.
“There I was – 7AM on vacation and then 7 PM at the base, preparing for war. This is the reality of reservists in Israel. It's never a question of if something's going to happen, it’s a question of when. Every couple of months, I go to training with my guys to make sure that we're going to be ready.”
He entered Gaza on October 20th. He and his fellow soldiers were among the first ones in. Their goal: find the hostages.
“When I look back at it now, it might have been a little naive to think that we're going to find hostages and rescue them. But that was our biggest motive going in there. We thought that we had a chance of finding some of them and bringing them back.”
Another goal was to kill as many Hamas terrorists as they could, as fast as possible.
“We started doing exactly that on October 28th, when we got into the northern part of Gaza. And then on the 20th of November, there was a group of Hamas terrorists that we were chasing into a house. We had a firefight; there was an explosion. We were hit by a missile.”
Tzivoni remembers flying through the sky and landing on his back, going in and out of consciousness.
“I was the medic. In my head I calculated my chances.”
He initially thought they were hit by an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). “The natural thing to happen after an RPG is either another RPG or a unit of Hamas guys coming to finish the job. Or to try to kidnap you into a tunnel. I didn't want my guys to go out of the house but they ended up going to give me life-saving treatment in the field, under fire.”
Tzivoni was very lucky that there was a group of doctors resupplying 150 meters away from them.
“We were rushed to the hospital. I was supposed to go to Sheba hospital in the center of Israel but the doctor told the pilot that we're not going to make it and needed to land as fast as possible. We landed down south and I was rushed into intensive care.”
Tzivoni was in a coma for two weeks and went through 28 surgeries, which helped heal the loss of his leg below the knee, a broken jaw, badly damaged throat/vocal cords, and the loss of hearing in his left ear.
“Hell of a ride,” he whispered softly.
Recovery was brutal. Six months of intense therapy. Many days, the pain in his leg stump kept him from using his prosthetic.
“Those are crutch days. And crutch days are 50 times harder.”
I got up. Every day, I made the decision: This thing is not going to break me. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
He is keenly aware of when people stare at him. “The looks that you get from everybody around you–it’s much more significant when you're hopping around with crutches than when you are with a prosthetic leg. These are the days where you're really challenged and really tested.
“But I got up. Every day, I made the decision: This thing is not going to break me. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
Tzivoni stays active—swimming, the gym, archery. He’s even considering training for the Paralympics.
““The secret for that, of course, is willpower. It lies within the person but also your prosthetic leg needs to be really good. In Israel, the technology isn’t where it needs to be. That has to change—not just for athletes, but for anyone who wants to live fully.”
Tzivoni was so focused on his recovery, he almost forgot he was being filmed for “Fighters,” the powerful documentary which follows the journey of Israeli soldiers who were seriously wounded in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The series can be seen on Israel’s global streaming platform, IZZY.
Initially, Tzivoni felt “very cringy” seeing himself on television, thinking that he “looked like a child,” hearing his “squeaky” voice that he had in the early days of recovery.
Due to the shrapnel that had lodged in his throat which injured his vocal cords, there was a time when he thought that his voice was permanently damaged. “I was afraid that I wasn't going to get my voice back and that scared me,” he acknowledged.
He also experienced discomfort with his broken jaw. “When they did the surgeries on the jaw, I kind of lost sensation on half my mouth, but thankfully, it got better with time.”
During the episode, there is a poignant moment where Tzivoni is approached by a fellow Israeli who thanks him for his service.
When you’ve sacrificed this much, and your people acknowledge it—it heals you. Not just your body. Your soul.
“That happens all the time, when I walk in the street, go into restaurants or shop at the grocery store. I carry the signs of war on my body. When people see me, it's pretty clear that I was hit in a war, because of the scars and the shrapnel and the burns. People automatically understand that this happened in fighting and they are extremely grateful. It means everything. When you’ve sacrificed this much, and your people acknowledge it—it heals you. Not just your body. Your soul.”
Tzivoni is now studying political science with deep concern for Israel’s future.
“Israel has incredible potential. But we must stay united. If we work together, this country can be everything we dream it to be.”
I'm all love for this man. Brave soldier, brave human, brave Jew. Though he's a stranger whom I'll never meet, he's a fellow Jew and I feel connected to him and all those who are fighting for the collective us, Jews, and the survival of Israel. It's horrific that the world is made up of too many monsters and good people have to suffer because of them. I hope knowing that many hearts go out to you Yoav. And by the way, still hot! 😉
Yoav
You are a hero and a g-d giving gift.
May you go from strength to strength !
Amen
My heart goes out to Yoav and all his comrades that risked their lives. Re'fua sch'elema!
Thank you for your love for us the Jewish people and giving of yourself.
lol. Thanks Mr. Iranian terrorist. Oh wise man. Get lost with your 1000 year old stench.
Disability is a war in itself because you have to find the strength inside yourself to move forward. Yoav Tzivoni is a remarkable young man that many could take a lesson from, he isn't wrapped up in self pity but in positive planning. This is the strength that Israeli people find in their souls every day.
Yoav Tzivoni thank for your service but also for your courage and guiding light for all who face adversity. Your story gave me personally a reminder that adversity is just a challenge to be mastered....thank you. Shalom
What a brave courageous man, may Hashem protect him from further sorrow, amen