Baruch Hashem, 2nd-Lt. Aaron [Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana] Karov, who was critically wounded in Gaza, is showing signs of returning to his environment. Those present gave witness, explaining Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who has seen his share of battles and wounded, was emotionally moved when he arrived at the 22-year-old officer’s bedside and the officer moved his blanket ever so slightly to extend his hand to personally great the minister, a former IDF chief of staff.

Karov, a resident of Yishuv Karnei Shomron, is a member of the 890th Battalion in the Paratroops Brigade. For those who many not remember, he left his wife Tzvia the morning after their wedding, called back to service for Operation Cast Lead.

Last week, Monday night-to-Tuesday, Karov and his soldiers were engaged in fighting with Hamas and he and others were wounded from a bomb. He sustained a grave head injury, and following field surgery, he was flown to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah where he underwent a 12-hour surgical procedure. Three other combatants were also injured by the blast.

Dr. Steve Jackson, a neurosurgeon and a former physician serving in the elite IAF ‘669’ airborne medical rescue unit led the life-saving simultaneous surgical teams.

Towards Shabbos, the miracle began unfolding before the surprised medical staff and family, which by the way was less surprised, never abandoning their tehillim and continuously mispalel on the wounded officer’s behalf.

On Monday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrived at the hospital, visiting the wounded. He stood aside’s Aaron’s bed in the intensive care unit next to his father, Rav Ze’ev Karov.

“As we entered the room, he opened half an eye and appeared to try to move his head as if he was making an effort to see” stated Rav Karov. “He nodded and with his hand, moved the blanket and shook hands with the minister”.

“What happened here is in our eyes nothing less than a miracle. There is a long road to recovery ahead, a difficult road. I am hearing terms from the doctors and nurses like ‘exceptional’, ‘surprising’ and ‘extraordinary’, explaining they do not remember such a case, such exceptional ability and desire to heal” the rav added.

Also visiting on Monday was opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu. Aaron’s younger brother Tzuriel, 16, asked Netanyahu to leave a bracha for Aaron. The MK wrote “hoping for a continued miracle” on the paper and signed it, handing it to Tzuriel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)