Critically Wounded Soldier From Oct. 7th To Wed Volunteer Who Aided His Rehabilitation

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — It all began about 20 months ago, when Eden Levy (23) from Ra’anana came to volunteer for the first time at the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center. In the very first room she entered, she saw him: Staff Sergeant Avi Kassa (22), a sniper commander in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, who had been critically injured in the head while protecting a wounded soldier.

Levy wasn’t so moved by the medical equipment he was connected to — it was his eyes and smile that captured her heart.

“His smile just melted me,” she says.

Today, after a miraculous recovery, Avi and Eden are going to celebrate their wedding, after nearly two years of an extraordinary love — one that began at a hospital bed, continued with late-night conversations, and is now filled with thoughts of building a home and family. Four months ago Avi, who can now walk normally and perform most activities, proposed to Eden.

“I was sure she wasn’t into me,” Avi says. “I couldn’t believe it. But she was there for me, and she healed all my wounds.”

Avi’s inspirational story is jaw-dropping. On the morning of October 7, he was on patrol with his soldiers when sirens began to wail.

“We saw rockets and interceptions above us,” he recounts. “My sergeant and I drove to the nearest shelter at the entrance to Kibbutz Kissufim. We got a radio message saying four terrorist squads were heading to the kibbutz.”

In the jeep were Avi, the sergeant, two other soldiers, and the driver.

“We decided to fight. We knew if the terrorists got past us, the residents of Kissufim would be left unprotected. Minutes later, dozens of terrorists stormed toward us on pickup trucks and motorcycles. It was five against dozens.”

“We began to fight. One soldier, Itamar, was shot in the arm and cried out. I got up to protect him, was shot in the head, and lost consciousness. I lay in the jeep, which was riddled with bullets. The sergeant and the other soldier continued fighting.”

Avi’s condition deteriorated, and the driver rushed him to the Kfar Aza base.

“We arrived just as the medics’ vehicle was entering. I was taken to the war room, where I regained consciousness. Then I was transferred to Soroka hospital for the first surgery, and then by helicopter to Beilinson for brain surgery.”

Avi was sedated and ventilated for two weeks. When he woke up, his friends and family reminded him what had happened.

“The first thing I asked was, ‘What about my soldiers?’ They told me everyone was okay, to keep me calm. Only later, when I was out of danger, did they tell me some of them had died.”

“We lost Michael Ben Hamo and Adi Tzur — true brothers. It’s a pain that can’t be described. These were the people I trusted most in battle.”

“Even the decision to drive toward Kissufim and fight — when we had no idea how many terrorists were there — was something we all agreed on. We knew it wouldn’t be easy and that maybe not all of us would return.”

“There’s one moment from that day I’ll never forget,” says Avi. “That split second when bullets were flying from all sides, and I heard my soldier’s scream after he was hit. I knew no matter what, I wouldn’t let him get hurt again.”

“As a commander, your soldiers are like your kids. Even when bullets whizzed past me, I knew in my heart — if needed, I’d take the hit for them.”

“One soldier who visited me in the hospital said, ‘I love you,’ and told my family, ‘My commander saved my life.’”

While recovering at Beilinson, Avi discovered the extent of his injuries.

“Slowly, I began to grasp the brain trauma. The entire left side of my body was paralyzed — limbs, hearing, even vision. One half of me worked. The other half didn’t move at all.”

A month after the injury, Avi was transferred to Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center for intensive therapy.

“For six months I was hospitalized full-time. Since then, I’ve been doing day rehab. But I’m not complaining. I’m alive, I’m breathing, and I thank God.”

“And beyond that — in that dark place, full of pain, I met the love of my life: Eden.”

Eden smiles. As a religious young woman, she has no doubt this was “Divine Intervention” — that thanks to G-d, she met her soulmate on her very first day of National Service.

“I came to Loewenstein through the ‘One Family’ organization that supports terror victims. We toured the departments, and the first room we entered was Avi’s. I looked at him — he was hooked up to all these machines — but he looked at me and smiled. That smile captivated me.”

Avi and Eden during his rehabilitation

“I discovered that behind this tough Golani warrior was an incredibly sensitive soul. That’s what drew me in and broke down all my walls.”

Avi: “When I looked at her, I saw an angel. She was shy, and I was sure I had no chance. In my condition, I thought, ‘Who would even look at me?’ But I saw how she reacted, and I thought, let’s go with it. What do I have to lose?”

“She started coming every day. We’d sit, talk, laugh. Deep conversations, tears. We exchanged numbers and started talking for hours into the night. I was already deeply in love — but I didn’t know how she felt. I had a lot of doubts. But we had so much in common: both religious, both from similar backgrounds.”

“I decided to open up and ask her out — I didn’t believe she’d say yes.”

Eden:

“I knew where this was heading. We’d spent three intense months together. My family started noticing — they’d see me going out in the evenings with food to the hospital, they’d hear about him and his heroism, and they were proud.”

“I fell in love with him too — with who he is inside. When he asked me out, I told him, ‘Let’s meet and talk about it.’ I thought about it, and I said yes.”

Wasn’t the injury intimidating?
Eden: “Not at all. His willpower is incredible. He’s a true inspiration to everyone.”

Avi (smiling): “It’s all thanks to her.”

Eden: “Avi recovered miraculously. He still has a way to go, but he’s already walking on his own. He has some trouble with movement — especially in his fingers — but all of that pales in comparison to his amazing personality.”

Eden:

“Avi hasn’t been to my house yet, but my family knows him and really likes him.”

What are your hopes?
“A lot of love — and that we never forget why we’re together. In a place where many couples lost their loved ones, God brought together love and connection. In a place of deep sorrow, we discovered that life is stronger than everything.”