Disabled Israeli military veterans joined professional models on a Tel Aviv runway on Wednesday, wearing clothing that designer Golan Elbaz Frydman created for them, The Associated Press reports. His "Fragments" collection explores rehabilitation and renewal through the experiences of veterans with physical and psychological wounds from Gaza, Lebanon and other conflicts. The show was part of Tel Aviv Fashion Week 2026 and took place on November 11, Reuters reports.

Reuters reports that Frydman developed the collection with the IDF Disabled Veterans Organisation to honor wounded veterans who have been altered by war. Men and women, some with injuries such as amputations and others with PTSD or chronic pain, walked the catwalk dressed in glitter and glam. Frydman said he designed the collection thinking of people's ability to rebuild after losing a part of themselves, according to Reuters.

Among those who walked was Hanoch Budin, who was critically injured during his military service in the 2006 Lebanon War, Reuters reports. Many of the other veterans in the show were wounded in the war in Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel.

Boris Shtonda lost his leg in an explosion in Gaza and has since taken part in Iron Man races and marathons. He told Reuters he wanted to show Israeli society that injured people are "not disabled." Yeonatan Hadad, who lost an eye and suffers a brain injury, told Reuters he wanted to set an example to others. Natan Avrahami, 36, who suffers from PTSD, said he wanted to bring what cannot be seen into the public eye, Reuters reports.

The show put the men and women who carry the cost of Israel's wars in the spotlight, on their own terms. Each walked the runway in clothing made for them, with their wounds, seen and unseen, as part of the story rather than something to hide.