Blood tests (illustrative)
Blood tests (illustrative)Flash90

The parents of Shahar Shalev, a Paratrooper who was badly injured in the first days of the ground offensive in Gaza, asked the public to help save his life earlier this week - and the public responded. 

Shahar, a resident of Alonei HaBashan in the Golan Heights, was injured when an IED laid by terrorists in Khan Younis on July 23 exploded near his postition.

Shahar has been hospitalized at Rambam Hospital in Haifa since then, some four and half weeks ago. The same explosion also killed three of his fellow soldiersLieutenant Paz Eliyahu, 22, from Evron; Sergeant First Class Li Mat, 19, from Eilat; and Sergeant First Class Shahar Dauber, 19, from Kibbutz Ginegar, hy"d. 

"We need men aged 18-60 who are willing to donate platelets," Shimon and Naomi, Shahar's parents, stated earlier this week. Platelets are the cells that help stop bleeding and initiate the clotting process. The contribution of platelets is performed using a special pumping system and the process takes between an hour and a half to two hours.

"Yesterday I sent out this e-mail in my locality and my brothers have posted in various places," Shimon told Channel Two News. "I get a lot of requests, all sorts of people have phoned me. Thank you to all the people of Israel who have mobilized to do this." 

Rambam Medical Center announced Tuesday that tens of people had volunteered to donate platelets to the soldier, who now has everything he needs.