The IDF agreed—on one condition: he had to pass all combat training tests.
By Hezy Laing
Meet Izzy Ezagui, a one-armed, American-born soldier who defied every expectation to rejoin the IDF after losing his dominant arm in combat.
Ezagui was injured by a mortar shell during Israel’s 2008 military operation in Gaza, but instead of retreating from military life, he made it his mission to return to the battlefield.
Despite being told repeatedly that re-enlistment was impossible, Ezagui convinced Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant to push his case through IDF bureaucracy.
The IDF agreed—on one condition: he had to pass all combat training tests, including rope climbing, grenade throwing, and rifle loading, using only one arm.
Ezagui trained relentlessly, even inventing techniques like bracing his rifle with the stump of his amputated arm to load it.
Against all odds, he passed every test and became the only combat soldier with an amputation to serve as an officer in the IDF reserves. Ezagui later served in Hebron and returned for reserve duty in Gaza.
During the recent conflict, Ezagui flew in from Los Angeles to rejoin his elite reserve unit after receiving a call-up via WhatsApp.
He participated in nightly operations in northern Gaza, including clearing tunnel shafts, evacuating wounded soldiers, and transporting supplies under fire.
Despite his disability, he continued to serve in high-risk roles, including combat engineering reconnaissance, and was involved in demolishing homes of terrorists linked to the October 7 massacre.
Ezagui also took part in a cross-border mission into Lebanon, helping dismantle Hezbollah’s largest terror tunnel, which required 400 tons of explosives.
During that time, he escorted journalist Douglas Murray into Lebanon, highlighting his dual role as both soldier and storyteller.
In a gripping dispatch, Ezagui described the emotional and physical toll of combat, the camaraderie among reservists, and the surreal contrast between civilian life and war.
But the best story is also the last.
While clearing a tunnel shaft in northern Gaza during his final mission this year, Ezagui was ordered to throw a grenade.
With only one arm, he pulled the pin using his teeth—a move that stunned and impressed his fellow soldiers.
They kept bringing it up afterward, joking that it looked like something out of a ’90s action movie.
For Ezagui’s unit, it wasn’t just a cool stunt—it symbolized resilience, grit, and commitment.
That moment became a kind of legend among his team, a reminder that disability doesn’t mean limitation.
His memoir, Disarmed, chronicles his journey from injury to inspiration.
