IDF soldier Michael Shoval, who was seriously injured by a missile fired from the Gaza Strip at a soldiers' bus, returned to Soroka Hospital this week to thank medical staff for helping him heal.
On November 12th, Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired an anti-tank missile at the bus, injuring one IDF soldier. The attack occurred during the largest escalation between Israel and the Gaza-based terror group since 2014.
"I was in the cargo area of the bus, and from what I saw in the video, the missile came in my direction. From all of the adrenaline, the most painful thing I felt was the wound with my finger," Shoval recounted in an interview with Hadashot 13.
Shoval escaped from the burning inferno seconds before the bus exploded and gave orders to his compatriots how to act despite suffering life-threatening injuries.
"I just made things move faster because I saw that it gave my friends motivation ... If they wanted to undress me, I helped him take off my infantry boots with my legs and helped them insert an IV into my veins," Shoval added.
Shoval says that before they arrived, he asked his commander if the site was safe. "He gave me an answer of everything is good, we're there every week," Shoval recounted. "The minute they tell you that everything is fine then you believe them."
Shoval lost one eye faces a long recovery. "Every day is something else, if it's a bit of nightmares, whether it's headaches or suddenly wheezing in the ears, or if it's pain in the legs," his mother said.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office said that "the incident took place at the beginning of a round of fighting on the Gaza Strip border, followed by an in-depth investigation of all units in the IDF that were presented to the IDF Chief of Staff".
Following the attack, army investigators probed the circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the bus had been allowed to travel so close to the Gaza border in the midst of Hamas attacks on Israel.
According to an IDF spokesperson, the bus’ entry into a dangerous border area was the result of “operational gaps” in the conduct of Israeli security forces in the field in asserting control over and isolating areas along the front between Israel and Gaza.