On March 2, 2024, Israeli Defense Force soldier Shalom Shitrit, 20, stood on one leg on crutches and addressed an audience of more than 1,200 people at the Aamon Hotel & Conference in Stamford, Connecticut — almost six months ago. reveals what happened to him while recalling the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
“I had no idea that in the next few minutes my life, the life of the people of Israel, and the lives of all Jews would change,” he told the assembled crowd, in part.
He went on to describe a series of horrific events and how he moved forward and finally reached his desired location, avoiding many whose lives were brutally taken by terrorists.
Survivor of Hamast terrorist attack against Israel speaks of pain and sadness of losing his ‘angel’ lover in October 7
Citrito told Fox News Digital in several phone interviews that his faith grew stronger after nearly losing his life on Oct. 7. He spoke from Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, Israel. He lost his leg in the attack and is currently receiving treatment.
He said he grew up in a devout Jewish family but had not observed the Sabbath for the past three years. After October 7, he felt a closer connection to God and began observing the Sabbath again.
Shalom Shitrit, shown here in two different photos, told FOX News Digital on October 7, 2023: All Jews. ” Currently, he works hard to encourage others and share his hope and faith. (Courtesy of Shalom Shitrit)
“If you live in emunah (meaning “faith” in Hebrew) it will help you… whenever you don’t [have answers] To the question…I say to myself, that’s good, he said. “I truly believe that. I live it.”
Sitrit described what it was like to be stationed in southern Israel, just 200 meters from the Gaza border, on that fateful day. (In his phone interview, a friend of his helped translate some of his comments.)
The English name of the Shitrit Brigade is “Guardians of Kibbutz Beli.” It is a close-knit farming community in the Negev desert known as the Kibbutz of Peace.
Lying in a pool of blood, he cupped his hands and smeared the blood on his face and clothes, making it look as if he had been killed.
There lived – just one example – Vivian Silver, a 74-year-old grandmother. She routinely drove sick Palestinians from Gaza to Jerusalem to ensure they received proper medical care. Hamas terrorists killed her and more than 130 other Beeri residents.
They also kidnapped 29 of the approximately 1,108 people who lived there, many of whom, like Silver, had dedicated their lives to helping Palestinians, according to the Times of Israel.
Mother of American Israeli hostage captured in October 7. Says her faith helps her overcome her darkest struggles
According to multiple reports, a total of about 1,200 people were killed in Israel that day. Kibbutz His Beeri is one of his most severely damaged locations.
He said Sitrit was patrolling outside the base, where 25 other soldiers were stationed that morning. He said he started receiving text messages about a possible terrorist attack in Israel at 6:10 a.m., and 30 minutes later he heard rockets being fired overhead.
He and his team found shelter in a familiar safe zone along the border.
Pictured on the right are Shalom Shitrit and his friend Noam Shaam, both of whom are members of the IDF. (Courtesy of Shalom Shitrit)
Sitrit commander Tomer Barak pointed to the spot where he had found the terrorists. Sitrit opened a mortar and ran towards the area.
He told FOX News Digital that he encountered the terrorists as he turned the corner.
“I saw two terrorists in front of me, one meter between us. At that moment, I just fired. Before either of them could shoot me in the right leg, I I killed two people.”
He kept a firm grip on the gun and peered through the magnifying glass.
Sitrit fell to the ground and called for help from his friends, trying to get a tourniquet, but they were all fighting. About an hour and a half later, they heard screams in Arabic and gunshots.
Sitrit remembers saying to himself, “If I stay here, the terrorists will come.” [might] find me, [will] want to kill me ”
Mother of American hostage held by Hamas calls for global support to mark 100th day in captivity
So he lay in a pool of blood, holding his hands and smearing blood on his face and clothes to make it look as if he had been killed.
He kept a firm grip on the gun and peered through the magnifying glass. Sitrit shot and killed a terrorist who passed by unsuspectingly.
“The bleeding won’t stop”
Sitrit stood up on one leg and hid next to the wall. They saw grenades being thrown at their commander, Barak, and his fellow soldier Sagib Cohen, and shouted to warn them, but gunshots rang out and they were unable to escape. Only Cohen survived the explosion.
The two men helped each other tie a tourniquet and remove the bullet from their friend’s gun.
Fourteen soldiers in Sitrit’s unit, who were close to each other as brothers, were killed and five others, including Sitrit and Cohen, were injured, Sitrit told Fox News Digital.
Sitrit was one of 11 survivors.
Cohen and Sitrit ducked under military vehicles to protect their eyes from debris. Sitrit recalled feeling like the sand hit her skin like a bullet. “I just closed my eyes. I couldn’t stop the bleeding. I said goodbye,” he told Fox News Digital.
Cohen shot two terrorists dead from under the car, saving their lives.
Sitrit and Cohen tied tourniquets on each other and helped remove the bullets from their slain friend’s gun. They screamed for help over the radio. About 30 minutes later, an armed vehicle arrived.
Shalom Shitrit is in the hospital after being rescued on October 7, 2023. At some point during the shootout that day, he “said goodbye.” (Shalom Shitrit)
Sitrit, who was still conscious despite losing a lot of blood, recalled going into the tank with a friend. Immediately after that, he was unconscious for a whole week.
Sitrito woke up under heavy sedation at Soroka Medical Center, where he said he experienced terrifying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He kept imagining terrorists near him and was so traumatized that he couldn’t sleep for four days.
The drugs Sitrit was taking caused him to hallucinate. When he was taken to Sheba Medical Center, he requested that it be removed and was able to sleep through the night again.
His leg was amputated and he underwent six surgeries, he said.
“As you can see on their faces, [the released hostages] Those who have experienced significant trauma…many of them have symptoms of PTSD. They cannot sit calmly. they’re upset. ”
Sitrit spoke at Sheba about the hostages who had been abducted and released from the Supernova music festival, including Mia Shem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman who was shot in the arm, and Maya Regev, 21, and her brother. I met some people. , Itai Regev, 19, were both shot in the leg.
Today’s far-left Jew hatred reflects Hitler’s socialism and anti-Semitism in the 1930s
(According to multiple reports, more than 40 of the approximately 250 people abducted by Hamas terrorists in Israel on October 7 were music festival attendees, most of whom were attending the Supernova music festival. (They are said to have been young people in their teens and 20s.)
Sitrit observed that although the hostages appeared strong, they were likely suffering psychologically.
“I want to say thank you… Americans come all the way to Israel all the time,” Shalom Shitrit told FOX News Digital of Americans who travel to Israel to help Jews through volunteering and other humanitarian work. I’m seeing that, and that’s something I’m very grateful for.” , very heartwarming. ” (Shalom Shitrit)
He said: “They radiate strength, but you can tell they’ve been through something… They want to talk about it in the media. [share] They talked about what Hamas did, but you can see in their faces that they have experienced severe trauma…many of them have signs of PTSD. They cannot sit calmly. they’re upset. ”
He added: “We need to be there for these people.”
For his rehabilitation therapy, Shitrit went to a treatment center for injured IDF soldiers in Kiryat Ono, Israel, which is affiliated with the nonprofit organization Belev Echad, which means “one heart” in Hebrew. Passing through. Belev Echad’s headquarters are in New York, but its base in Israel has become a healing haven for Israeli Defense Forces soldiers recovering from physical and mental trauma.
“The greatest treatment”
Rabbi Uriel Vigler, founder of Bel Echad, said soldiers primarily come to the home because “this is like the ultimate therapy.”
When a soldier looks into the eyes of a fellow warrior, “they are the only ones who can understand each other’s pain.”
He said that when soldiers look into the eyes of their fellow warriors, “only they can understand each other’s pain, only they can understand what they have been through.” [only they can know] The sight of devastation they saw together. ”
About 12,000 soldiers have been injured since October 7, of which 1,500 are being treated at Belev Echad, the rabbi said.
Woman destroys Israeli hostage poster in front of prisoners’ families in New York City
Eight treatment rooms for occupational therapy and physical rehabilitation were quickly constructed to meet their needs. Vigler said the facility will also feature a gym, martial arts room and a pool for hydrotherapy sessions.
The center not only provides food, but also physical, mental, and psychological assistance. Belev Echad’s staff, including a trainer who was also shot in the leg, are wounded soldiers themselves, allowing them to relate to the patients they care for on a personal level, he said.
Shalom Shitrit was injured in a terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, which required the amputation of his right leg. (Courtesy of Shalom Shitrit)
Despite the soldiers being in extreme pain, “they are happy to be alive and very happy to be with us,” Wigler said. “Spending time with them doesn’t make me feel depressed. In fact, it inspires me.”
Sitrit frequently visits the soldiers of Shaba and Belev Echad.
The young soldier started an initiative called Kamim Mehaddash, which means “to rise again” in Hebrew. He is arranging for bags filled with essentials such as food, shampoo and headphones to be delivered to soldiers at army bases.
Shitrit also speaks to and uplifts other survivors in Israel.
“You could hear a pin drop as he spoke. People cried and then cheered.”
He has also flown to the United States to speak in places such as New York City, Boston, and Connecticut.
He recently told an audience in Stamford, Conn.IHe said the October 7 tragedy taught him the importance of unity, especially in light of Israel’s political and religious divisions before the war.
Click here to sign up for our lifestyle newsletter
“Despite all the pain I endured, no matter how scary it was to be an inch away from death, I am honored to sacrifice my right foot for Jewish unity,” he said. said.
“We are all one…hug your Jewish brothers and sisters.”
“I was in the audience…while he was speaking,” said Robin Myerson, founder and director of the Arizona chapter of Project Inspire, a Jewish nonprofit that invited Sitrit to speak in Connecticut. You could hear a pin drop. People were crying, and then they were cheering.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Regarding Americans who support Israel from afar and Americans who come to Israel to volunteer, Sitrit told FOX News Digital, “I just want to say thank you…I see Americans coming all the way to Israel all the time. , that’s something I’m very grateful for.” , very heartwarming. ”
He added: “I have no words.”
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle..
