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Hospitalized but defiant, Israeli soldiers eager to return to Gaza battle
By Dana Polak, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Israel News, Gaza 

"I must get back out there," a wounded Israel Defense Forces soldier said Monday from his hospital bed in Be'er Sheva. He was met with a worried look from his mother, who was sitting by his bedside.

Since Israel began its ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the corridors of the Soroka medical center have been filled with wounded soldiers and their relatives, as well as their comrades who came to visit them before heading back into battle.


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Morale among those soldiers has been unbelievably high.

Unlike Israel's Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006, this time around the army requested that soldiers not to speak to the media.

"We've been told not talk to reporters because anything we say might put the soldiers at risk," said one father who came to visit his wounded son.

Frieda Kaplan, whose son Yoed has been hurt from shrapnel while invading the coastal strip with the Golani infantry brigade, looked surprisingly serene as she was sitting by his hospital bed. It was a feeling of relief, she explained, to know that her son was by her side - out of harm's way.

"The problem with these guys is that they want to be out there and protect their homes," Frieda said. "But that is also their greatness."

She added that Yoed was, "frustrated his injury came so soon, and he wasn't able to do more."

Another lesson the army seems to have learned following the Second Lebanon War, in which the IDF fought against Hezbollah guerillas for 34-days, is the importance of having soldiers be in touch with their families as much as possible.

Frieda Kaplan said he son phoned his father immediately after he was wounded and "calmed him down." She refused to elaborate on the circumstances leading up to her son's injury, saying she had been asked to do so.

Before his injury, Yoed had planned to become an officer. Now, his mother says, his plans may have to change. "He is very frustrated with that," she said. "Only after speaking to the rabbi from the yeshiva he attended did he realize that these things happen for a reason."

"These kids want to be out there - not out of thirst for blood, but in order to fulfill their duty."

Meanwhile in Petah Tikvah, the Elbaz family huddled around Amit's hospital bed.

Amit, who sustained wounds to his eye and arm, is a resident of the rocket-battered town of Sderot, and his family is convinced the Gaza offensive was necessary in order to bring an end to the rocket fire.

"After a few strenuous days we were actually relieved to hear that Amit was here," his father said. "At least he is by our side and we know how he is doing, because Gaza is one big uncertainty."

"Amit already wants to go back there," he added. "I really don't want him to."

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