An IDF combat soldier who lost both legs and his hand in Gaza before falling into a six-week coma was saluted during President Trump’s historic visit to the Israeli Knesset this week as “the spirit of Israel.”
Ari Spitz told The Post he was surprised to be singled out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who hailed the humble hero critically injured last year in a Hamas-booby trapped home connected to a tunnel shaft. Spitz is widely believed to have suffered one of the gravest injuries of the war with the terror group.
“Ari, you are the spirit of Joshua, the spirit of David, the spirit of the Maccabees. Ari, you are the spirit of Israel. I salute you,” said Netanyahu, whose rousing remarks were met with a standing ovation.
The modest soldier, with dual US-Israel citizenship, reflected that his motivation to serve in the war—after his compulsory military service concluded a week before October 7, 2023—was the return of the hostages and to fight against “violence and terror” in Gaza. The existential struggle to defend his homeland was “an opportunity for peace and to get back our quiet,” said a beaming Spitz, 23, whose most pronounced feature is the smile on his face.
As a US citizen, he felt a “responsibility” to fight a common enemy as an IDF soldier, to “stand against evil” and to “stand for what is right.” The seven-front war the tiny Jewish state fought “is about morality for standing up against evil.”
“This is not merely a conflict between nations,” the Jerusalem resident said during a Washington, DC address earlier this year. “It is a battle against those who believe that murder, rape, and kidnapping are acceptable acts.”
Spitz told The Post on Friday that after “watching the curses and burning flags against America,” he agreed with what Trump and the US government “see as not just Israel’s war” against Hamas but “it’s the world’s war.”
Of the Islamic organizations that seek to destroy “what we all want to live for—our liberal and democratic way of life,” Spitz said, “It’s one of the reasons I went to fight, and got injured.”
He was “presumed dead” in the February 2024 Gaza City explosion that instantly killed two officers and left 10 others, including Spitz, wounded. The warrior went on to survive a six-week medically induced coma and 11 surgeries, requiring 35 units of blood.
Spitz said he feels only gratitude for his second chance at life, despite the critical injuries which required multiple surgeries, including one procedure in the US.
As a testament to his religious upbringing and faith, the amputee pushes through the occasional “bad days,” refusing to lie in bed and feel sorry for himself. Spitz’s recovery included training with a former IDF commando and resilience expert for wounded heroes as he learned how to walk again.
“His rehabilitation progressed remarkably fast, not because it was easy, but because Ari is a relentless hard worker,” said Sagi Dovev, who first met Spitz when he was still wheelchair-bound and without a prosthetic. “He possesses mental toughness and resilience that are rare among young people.”
As he prepares to start law school studies next week, Spitz said he’s “hoping to have influence on what’s happening in Israel and the world.”
The special forces instructor also predicted to The Post that Spitz, founder of the nonprofit House of Heroes, will be a future prime minister one day.
“I truly believe Ari will lead this country one day. He’s made of the qualities that define great leaders,” Dovev said. “Ari rebuilds himself, step by step. He is, without a doubt, a lion of Israel.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/18/world-news/idf-amputee-who-spent-6-weeks-in-a-coma-hailed-as-the-spirit-of-israel-during-president-trumps-visit-to-the-knesset/
