An Israeli officer who lost his leg during the war on Gaza has revealed details of the intense fighting faced by occupation forces during clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in Rafah.
In an interview published by the Israeli military across its digital platforms, Major “A”, a former company commander in the Nahal Brigade, described the severe injuries he sustained during combat operations in Rafah, which ultimately resulted in the amputation of his leg and the death of one of his soldiers.
The officer, whose face was blurred during the interview, described the combat environment in Rafah’s Tal al Sultan neighbourhood as a “real choke point”, citing tightly packed five to six storey buildings and narrow alleyways that forced soldiers to move sideways due to the lack of space.
Heavy Fire and a Deadly Ambush
The officer said the unit under his command came under extremely heavy fire during one operation.
“I’ve been shot at several times in my life, but I had never heard bursts of gunfire this intense,” he said.
“I Saw Death With My Own Eyes”
The Israeli major recounted the moment his unit walked into an ambush, explaining that one of his soldiers, identified as “Friedman”, collapsed beside him. As he attempted to reach him, he was struck by what he described as a “very powerful hit” that threw him to the ground.
He later discovered that a bullet had torn through the main artery in his leg.
He described the evacuation as deeply traumatic, saying he watched medics cover the face of the dead soldier inside the helicopter while he himself struggled to survive severe blood loss.
Ten Hours of Surgery and Total Dependence
The officer revealed harsh details from his time in hospital, where he underwent a series of operations lasting around ten hours. He also said he lost a significant amount of weight, dropping to just 60 kilograms.
He explained that he spent a long period under sedation and connected to feeding tubes, adding that he needed nurses to assist him with even the most basic daily tasks, including showering and changing adult diapers.
He described the experience as “humiliating and extremely complicated” for someone who had been leading dozens of soldiers in Gaza only weeks earlier.
Amputation or Death
According to the officer, his injury became severely infected and the damaged artery repeatedly ruptured inside the hospital, causing heavy bleeding throughout the room.
He said doctors gave him two choices: continue attempts to save the leg while risking death from repeated haemorrhaging, or amputate the limb to save his life.
As his condition deteriorated, he eventually agreed to the amputation.
The officer added that his suffering did not end after surgery. He said he continues to experience phantom limb pain and struggles to adapt to a prosthetic leg, noting that walking and climbing stairs have become extremely difficult.
He also admitted that the Israeli army’s killing of three Israeli captives by mistake in Gaza’s Shuja’iyya neighbourhood continued to haunt him psychologically throughout his deployment.
According to the officer, fear and constant tension accompanied Israeli soldiers throughout military operations in Gaza.
