Eritrean national Mulugeta Tsagi received permanent residency status in Israel on Sunday in appreciation for saving the life of an Israeli soldier on Oct. 7.
Tsagi administered life-saving first aid to an Israel Defense Forces officer shot by Hamas terrorists in Sderot, and then stayed with the officer for several hours until he finally reached a hospital.
“The least that can be done to show gratitude is to allow him to live here with dignity,” said Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, who arranged the permanent residency status for Tsagi.
The officer, whose identity cannot be revealed, was shot by Hamas terrorists from a van.
The officer lost consciousness, and when he awoke, Tsagi was trying to staunch the blood gushing from his abdomen.
“I’m with you to the end,” Tsagi told him.
The two managed to hide in a ditch for more than two hours until they were rescued by a passing civilian.
“Oct. 7 is a disaster that affected the entire country,” said Arbel. “The least that can be done to show gratitude to those who risked their lives to save the life of an officer in the IDF is to give Mulugeta the opportunity to live here with dignity. Gratitude is the highest Jewish value.”
Around 30,000 African asylum-seekers live in Israel, of whom an estimated 17,000 are from Eritrea.
Human rights groups describe Eritrea, a northeastern African country, as one of the most repressive in the world since breaking away from neighboring Ethiopia three decades ago. It has been ruled by President Isaias Afwerki ever since. Many have fled from the country’s mandatory military conscription.
More than 170 people were injured, including 49 police officers, when a demonstration by Eritrean asylum seekers against a Revolution Day celebration in Tel Aviv turned violent in September.
