Injured by RPG, Israeli Doctor Resolves to Return to ICU After Hamas Attack

Dr. Yoav Bichovsky, a senior doctor at the intensive care unit at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, was severely wounded by an RPG in Gaza, yet he expresses a strong desire to return to treating patients. Despite his devastating injuries, Bichovsky's commitment to his profession and patients remains unwavering.

Bichovsky, 47, volunteered on October 7 to fight Hamas’s invasion in the south and served intermittently in Gaza during the war. On March 31, after three days of intense fighting in Khan Younis, Gaza, Bichovsky and two other soldiers were gravely injured when an RPG struck their vehicle.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Bichovsky was unconscious and unrecognizable due to the extent of his injuries. His colleagues had to take his fingerprints to identify him, as even his trusted friend and fellow intensive care doctor, Adam Saparov, initially failed to recognize him.

Amit Frenkel, another colleague, explained to Channel 12 news in Israel, “From the outside, it sounds very strange, but you must understand, when a wounded person arrives, in the first few minutes or even the first few hours, sometimes it’s very hard to identify him. I won’t get into the graphic details, but it’s hard sometimes.”

Professor Alexander Zlotnik of the anesthesiology division at Soroka noted the emotional challenge in recognizing Bichovsky: “It was some kind of blackout in my brain—I wasn’t ready to accept it.”

Anesthesiologist Shachar Negev recounted how Dr. Saparov identified Bichovsky by his fingers, jaw, and nose, yet he struggled to believe it, saying, "I told him: It’s not him. I don’t see it.”

The team at Soroka Hospital decided to inform Bichovsky’s wife of his severe injuries rather than waiting for the military’s notification. Professor Moti Klein of Bichovsky’s unit shared that the medical team debated whether they could treat him without being emotionally affected, but ultimately decided to care for him themselves. “The thought that he would be treated somewhere else was harder to stomach than that we would treat him,” Klein said.

Bichovsky is now on the gradual road to recovery and managed to send a WhatsApp message on May 5th. Though his colleagues initially worried whether he would be himself again, he is making daily progress and is currently developing speech and motor skills at the Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center in Ra’anana.

Speaking softly due to partial paralysis of one of his vocal cords from the attack, Bichovsky expressed his simple wishes: “to return home, to eat like a human being, regular things. To be a dad.” When asked if he wanted to return to treating patients in the hospital, he affirmed, “Yes. It’s amazing work. It’s an amazing life.”

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