Soldiers who lost limbs in Gaza war are finding healing on Israel's amputee soccer team
Israel's national amputee soccer team is heading to France for the 2024 European Amputee Football Championships in June
RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — When Ben Binyamin was left for dead, his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival, the Israeli professional soccer player thought he would never again play the game he loved.
“When I woke up,” the 29-year-old said, “I felt I was going to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.”
Then Binyamin learned about a chance to be “normal” again: Israel's national amputee soccer team.
The team, which includes two Israeli soldiers who lost limbs fighting in the war with Hamas, has offered all three a chance to heal from life-altering wounds suffered during the Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza. It heads to France in June for the European Amputee Football Championships. Some 16 teams, mostly from Europe, will compete.
