Netanyahu and Liberman
Netanyahu and LibermanFlash90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called on Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Monday to find a solution for Sergeant Yehuda Yitzhak HaYisraeli, who was severely wounded while fighting in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

“Sergeant Yehuda Yitzhak HaYisraeli,” Netanyahu wrote in a letter to the Defense Ministry, “was critically wounded during Operation Protective Edge two years ago. He suffered serious head injuries from shrapnel that penetrated his brain during heavy fighting in Rafiah, leaving him unconscious for months.”

The Prime Minister noted that despite the severity of his injuries, HaYisraeli had made remarkable progress.

“His condition has improved, though the path to full recovery is still long. Yehuda is, in effect, the last wounded [soldier] from the battle who is still being treated.”

Netanyahu reflected on the recent online fundraising campaign which managed to collect some 1.4 million shekels ($364,000) to help the wounded soldier’s family build the necessary treatment unit which would allow him to be released from the hospital and sent back home.

“The impressive fundraising by Israeli citizens from all walks of life for the HaYisraeli family is very touching and testifies to the deep sense of mutual responsibility in [Israeli society], all the more so when it’s for a soldier who went out to defend his people and state and was wounded in so doing.”

The Prime Minister also issued a directive within the Prime Minister’s office, ordering officials there to assist HaYisraeli’s family wherever possible, after the Defense Ministry had barred the transfer of funds for the treatment unit at HaYisraeli’s house because of its location over the Green Line.

In his letter to the Defense Minister, Netanyahu emphasized that it was the responsibility of the state to overcome its own red tape and give HaYisraeli the assistance he needs.

“It is incumbent upon state authorities to ensure that Yehuda receives whatever help is needed, within the framework of the law.”