Left for Dead on October 7: Michelle, The Most Injured Female Soldier of the Massacre
Michelle Rukovitzin, the most severely wounded female IDF soldier from October 7, survives multiple gunshot wounds and a 3-month coma to inspire others with her remarkable recovery story.
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On the morning of October 7, 2023, Israel awoke to horror. Thousands of rockets rained down from Gaza, and heavily armed Hamas terrorists stormed across the border, attacking the Nova Festival, communities and military bases. By the end of the day, more than 1,200 Israelis were killed, and entire towns were left in ruins. It was a massacre that scarred the nation and shocked the world.
Amid the devastation, rare sparks of hope emerged from the ashes. And that's her story too: Michelle Rukovitzin, known as the most injured female soldier of the October 7th massacre, endured the unthinkable and lived to tell it. She was hit by seven bullets, wounded by shrapnel from grenades, and left bleeding for 14 hours inside her base’s shelter. For many, her story would have ended there. Instead, it became one of survival, resilience, and inspiration.
A Fight Beyond the Battlefield
“I’m Michelle, the most injured female soldier of October 7,” she introduces herself with quiet strength. Her calm voice belies the trauma she endured. “They came into our shelter, threw grenades, everyone fainted. Then they started to shoot at us. I had many sharpens [shrapnel] all over my body… seven bullets in my body.”
Lying motionless for hours, she was mistaken for dead. When a special forces unit entered the shelter, they almost left her behind, until she whispered that the terrorists had already gone. “They were like, ‘oh, wow, she’s alive," Rukovitzin recalls.
Her battle for life did not end there. Michelle spent three months in a coma, and when she finally opened her eyes, she faced an entirely new war: the fight to reclaim her body. Rehabilitation was grueling, filled with pain, setbacks, and moments of doubt. Yet today, against all medical expectations, Rukovitzin is walking again.
This journey, she says, was not one she could have walked alone.
“Definitely my family, my fiancé and my best friends were a essential part of my recovery. My fiancé came every day. Because of the people surrounding me, who were so strong, I couldn’t let myself not be strong.”
A Reflection of the Human Spirit
Michelle Rukovitzin's survival has become more than a personal triumph, it is a symbol of the human spirit’s ability to endure against all odds. Her story illustrates that endurance is not born only from physical strength but also from love, community, and an unyielding will to live.
Her ability to rise from a coma, to relearn how to move, and to smile after witnessing terror reflects the resilience found in those who refuse to surrender to darkness. In Michelle’s journey, we see how pain can transform into purpose, how trauma can coexist with hope, and how even in the aftermath of unimaginable violence, the human spirit insists on life.
A Message of Strength
To women facing pain, trauma, or fear, Michelle Rukovitzin shares a simple but profound message: “Be optimistic. Inspire yourself.” Her words remind us that inspiration often begins within, and that self-belief can be as vital as any medicine.
Amid the tragedy of October 7, Michelle embodies the resilience of a nation scarred but unbroken, and she continues to inspire others to find strength, even in their darkest hours.