Israel has granted residency to an Eritrean man who risked danger to save a wounded soldier during Hamas’s attack almost two months ago.
On October 7, Mulugeta Tsegay was travelling by taxi in the city of Sderot, which neighbours the Gaza Strip.
Berhane Negassi, chairman of the New Hope Eritrean Association in Israel, told the BBC that Mr Mulugeta jumped from the taxi and gave first aid to an injured Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officer who had been left bleeding and unconscious by Hamas.
When the officer came to, he found Mr Mulugeta leaning over him, stopping the bleeding. Both men hid for approximately two hours before a passing driver picked them up and took them to a hospital.
When the officer was discharged, he wanted to show his gratitude by helping to resolve the Mr Mulugeta’s residency case.
The officer contacted Interior Minister Moshe Arbel with this request.
In a statement, the minister said: “7 October was a tragedy that affected the whole country. What we can do to show gratitude to someone who risked his life to save the life of an IDF officer is to give him the opportunity to live here with dignity.”
Mr Berhane, a long-time resident of Israel said since the conflict between with Gaza began, Eritreans in Israel have collected clothes, water, and other essential supplies to support Israeli citizens affected by the conflict.
Eritreans living in towns along the Gaza border have themselves experienced displacement.
There are more than 18,000 Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel. Less than 1% of applications have been approved by the Israeli government.