MIAMI – A special dinner was held Tuesday night honoring wounded Israeli Defense Force soldiers, some of whom were hurt fighting against Hamas.
Thousands of IDF soldiers have been injured so far in the conflict.
Recommended Videos
Tuesday’s dinner was about supporting an organization called Belev Echad that is helping them recover from those injuries.
According to the latest numbers from the IDF, over 4,000 soldiers have been injured since the conflict began on Oct. 7 of last year.
Among them is Liroy Dahan, a soldier who responded to one of the kibbutz - or small towns - under attack by Hamas militants.
“I’m coming here to tell my story,” said Dahan. “It was the hardest thing that I do in my life.”
His tank came under RPG fire. He shot and killed the Hamas militants and managed to escape.
“I’m waiting for him, and he come and trying to explode the machine, and I killed this one,” said Dahan.
Belev Echad provides physical therapy and psychotherapy to soldiers like Dahan at a base in the country.
Gil Benedek is also an Israeli reservist who was injured after the attack on Oct. 7.
“It makes us alive, we don’t feel like freaks, and I think that is the meaning of this house, of this place,” he said.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez welcomed them to South Florida to tell their story.
“We support you, we commend your bravery, and we know that you’re on the front lines of a battle against terror, a battle that we waged against other kinds of extreme ideologies,” said Suarez.
Of the thousands of injured soldiers, Belev Echad said they are currently helping about 1,500 of them in their recovery.