Israel News
Miracle Surgery Saves IDF Soldier After Bullet Lodges in His Heart
Doctors at Rambam stabilize fighter critically wounded in Beit Jann raid, after a bullet pierced his vest and stopped inside his heart
Soldiers in Beit Jann (IDF Spokesperson)
An IDF soldier shot during last week’s firefight in the Syrian village of Beit Jann is recovering in Rambam Medical Center, after surgeons performed what the hospital described as an extraordinary, life-saving emergency operation. The soldier was one of six troops wounded when gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces during an arrest mission deep inside Syrian territory.
The firefight erupted overnight between Thursday and Friday, when an IDF reserve force operating in Beit Jann, about 11 kilometers inside Syria, detained two wanted men in their beds. As the soldiers moved to extract the suspects, gunmen hiding on a nearby rooftop opened fire at close range on an IDF Hummer performing a blocking maneuver, wounding six fighters, including three critically.
A rescue team from Unit 669 landed under fire to treat the wounded and evacuate them by helicopter directly to Israel. One of the critically wounded soldiers arrived at Rambam in Haifa with a gunshot wound to the chest. It turned out, that the bullet had penetrated his ceramic vest, and lodged inside his heart.
“He was rushed immediately to the operating room to stop the bleeding and stabilize his condition,” said Prof. Gil Bolotin, director of the hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Department. “The surgery was complex and challenging and included opening the chest both from the side and from the center, in order to stop the source of the bleeding.”
According to Bolotin, the bullet tore through the heart’s internal walls. “The bullet passed between the heart’s septa, perforated them, and stopped there. In a rapid consultation we unanimously decided to leave the bullet,” he said. “We managed to stabilize him, and today he is already recovering and communicating with those around him.”
Doctors say they may consider a second procedure to remove the bullet, or possibly extract it by catheterization, though “there is definitely a possibility the bullet will remain in place.”
Both critically wounded soldiers remain in intensive care in stable condition. In recent months, IDF forces have operated up to 15 kilometers inside Syria to prevent weapons from reaching hostile groups along the border.
