Israel Active

Eliya Cohen, held hostage in Gaza for over 500 days, and Ziv Aboud, a Nova festival massacre survivor, were dating before Oct. 7 2023 and had planned on getting married. Now, after years of heartbreak and hope, they are finally together.

Three well-preserved large storage jars dating back to the Middle Bronze Age were discovered during excavations in ancient Shiloh, site of the Biblical Tabernacle. Likely to have held grapes and wine, the jars were unearthed just days before the annual “Ancient Shiloh Wine Festival”.

A Merkava Mark IV tank crew from the 401st Armored Brigade carried out an unexpected civilian rescue in Feb 2024, when they saved a group of Israeli Arab residents trapped inside a burning apartment building near the Gaza border town of Netiv HaAsara.

Israel’s national‑religious community make up only about 15% of the population, but they account for over 30% of IDF reservists. This has been visible for more than a decade, but especially after Oct 7, 2023, when national‑religious units reported near‑total turnout.

Tel Azekah is an Iron Age Judean stronghold in central Israel referenced in the Book of Joshua and the story of David and Goliath and has been slowly excavated for the past 16 years.

A soldier in the IDF Military Rabbinate, erected an eiruv of poles and strings near the Lebanese border to allow soldiers to carry items on Shabbat. An explosive FPV drone launched by Hezbollah got entangled in the strings and self-detonated, miraculously injuring no-one.

IDF soldier Matanel Ben‑Shabbat arrived at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva without a pulse or heartbeat after being critically wounded during fighting in the Gaza Strip. But an emergency thoracotomy, massive transfusion, and amputations, helped him survive to inspire others.

Oksana Dvorkin is ’s first female service-patrol driver. She helps families stranded on busy Highway 90 with breakdowns, fuel shortages and roadside emergencies. On Oct 7 2023, 6 months pregnant, she was trapped at home and saved by local security squad.

Video of the visit and recent performance by US-Israeli former hostage Alon Ohel and US musician John Ondrasik aboard USS Nimitz in honor of America’s 250th Independence Day. Even a 60mph gale couldn’t stop the show. Hear them perform “Superman” at 9mins.

Alon Kaminer lost his hands, a leg and an eye while defending Israel. Despite more than 100 surgeries he continued to study and graduated with honors from Tel Aviv University in Industrial Engineering and Management.