Two years and eight months after the end of the Second Lebanon War, Dror Kendelstein, the most severely wounded survivor of the fighting, returned home. When asked about his plans, Dror said, “I want to learn, to move forward in life and to go back to what I was.”
Dror served in the IDF reserves during the 2006 war. He was hit by gunfire and shrapnel near the village of Bint Jbeil, where some of the heaviest battles of the war took place.
Before he was wounded, Dror had planned to begin studying in university the following month.
After years of rehabilitation, Dror is once again able to speak and move his head, and has gained limited movement in his limbs. However, he has been left with serious handicaps, and is expected to continue rehabilitation for some time, including learning how to walk again.
The Tel Hashomer hospital, where Dror underwent much of his care, held a farewell party for him. Singer Efrat Gush attended the event, as did Dror's family and friends and many members of the staff.
Dror's father told the Hebrew-language daily Yediot Acharonot that the family plans to take a vacation in the near future. “After the past few years we need to rehabilitate ourselves as a family,” he said.