In a heartwarming conclusion to a viral wartime moment, Dor Avidan, 33, from Yokneam, welcomed his newborn son at Rambam Hospital last Friday – seven months after discovering he was having a boy through a unique gender reveal in Gaza.
"We were in Gaza after an operation when blue smoke started coming from a nearby building," Avidan recalls of the viral moment. "It turned out my wife Zohar had coordinated with our battalion commander, who carried the smoke grenade. That's how I learned we were having a son – probably the most surreal gender reveal possible."
Now, after 256 days of reserve duty spanning four deployments in both Gaza and Lebanon, Avidan was finally able to be present for his son's birth. "I was released just last week, so I missed most of the pregnancy. Thank God I made it for the birth – it was amazing."
The new father, who serves as a battalion communications officer in the Carmeli Brigade's 22nd Battalion, reflects on the emotional toll: "It was incredibly difficult. Missing such significant moments with Zohar while she struggled through the pregnancy alone. My heart was torn between her and my comrades on the frontlines."
Looking at his newborn son, Avidan shares his hopes: "We fought, and are still fighting, so he and future generations can have peace. I wish everything we did there will give everyone a future that looks nothing like our present."
*"My wife is a queen," he adds, "and now we're finally here together."