After being shot in both legs by a Hamas sniper in Gaza, Israeli reservist and New York native Aaron Bours is among the many soldiers pioneering the use of cutting-edge rehabilitative technologies that have been a result of Israel’s war with Hamas.
Bours, now 34, moved from Long Island to Israel as a teenager to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and ended up staying in the country.
He describes his first entry into Gaza — weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel — as stepping into a Tolkien-esque apocalyptic landscape. “It’s like Mordor or the Upside Down of ‘Stranger Things,’ ” he told The Post.
Just two weeks into his service, Bours was shot while trying to rescue his commanding officer, who was killed at the scene.
From the initial fear of amputation to transitioning to a wheelchair and then crutches and now to a cane, Bours credits Israel’s medical professionals and technology for his recovery and saving his legs.
In fact, Israel’s war in Gaza has spurred a wave of healthcare innovations that are reshaping both mental and physical recovery for soldiers and civilians.
From surgical robots that remove bullets and shrapnel to 3D-printed prosthetics tailored for rapid deployment, to a battlefield burn treatment developed from pineapples, these technologies are redefining modern medicine and saving lives.
The need is dire: Since the war began,12,000 soldiers have entered the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation department, with 40% sustaining limb trauma and a third facing psychological injuries such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis.