Injured ‘Fauda’ star Idan Amedi says there are Hamas tunnels in ‘every Gaza home’
An Israeli actor who stars in the popular Netflix drama “Fauda” said “the world must know the truth” about Hamas as he left the hospital Thursday after suffering serious injuries while fighting in Gaza — declaring that the terror group has tunnels in every home in the enclave.
Idan Amedi, 35, was hit with shrapnel on Jan. 8 during his reserve duty with a combat engineering unit. Six soldiers were killed and several wounded in the apparent friendly fire incident.
“Although I was seriously injured, my spirit is strong,” the singer and actor said with a bruised face, bandaged hand and arm in a sling during an emotional appearance at Sheba Medical Center.
“I refuse to make this injury the story of my life — It’s just another milestone. I will come back to sing and act and with God’s help I will also return to fight for my country,” Amedi said.
He said “the world must know the truth” about the terrorists, Ynet reported. “Hamas tunnels are in every Gaza home,” he said, adding that Israel must expose their crimes.
In “Fauda,” he plays Sagi Tzur, a member of an undercover special forces team that battles Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank and Gaza.
“I am grateful for all the messages, love and support I have received from thousands of people,” he said Thursday, according to the Times of Israel.
Amedi thanked the medical staff at Sheba and the Israeli Air Force’s tactical rescue unit 669 for saving him, the Jerusalem Post reported.
He arrived at the hospital unrecognizable while sedated and intubated – and was tagged as “unidentified, 22 years old,” he said.
“Shrapnel pierced my neck and spine, and I am lucky that none of it hit any main blood vessels. I also have broken bones, including fingers, but I know I will get back to playing guitar and hopefully, I will be able to be in ‘Fauda’ season five,” Amedi said.
“I look forward to being able to pick my kids up again,” he added.
Amedi preferred to talk about other injured soldiers and his fallen comrades, rather than himself, and became emotional and tearful.
“People tell me I am a hero and symbol, but I am just one of everyone. If there is one good thing that happened from my injuries, it is that I can be an ambassador for those who have also been injured,” he said.
“It’s important to let them have space to express their pain, both physical and emotional. It will take a long time for them to heal, so please accept them with understanding,” the actor added.
He talked about the regret he harbors for not being able to make sure that all the troops he led returned home safely.
“This will stay with me my whole life. One day I will be able to talk about it,” he said.
Amedi singled out two of his good reservist pals who were killed on the fateful day –Sgt. First Class Gavriel Bloom, 27, and Sgt. Maj. Akiva Yasinskiy, 35, whom he called his “moral compass.”
“Akiva was the last one I saw before the explosion and the first thing I wanted to know when I woke up in the hospital was whether he survived,” he said.
Amedi also said that rescuing or securing the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas must be the top priority for the government and the military.
“Israel has many tools and kinds of leverage to deal with the hostage issue. I think not everything has been done yet,” he said.
Before his injury, Amedi had been active on Instagram, where he showed support for Israel and its ground incursion in the Palestinian enclave.
He first became popular as a singer, standing out in the eighth season of Israel’s “Kochav Nolad” — “A Star is Born” — competition show.
