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Wounded Oct. 7 survivor weds longtime partner

Michelle Rukovicin, critically injured defending Kissufim base on Oct. 7 and once in a coma, married her boyfriend of five years.

The marriage ceremony for Michelle Rukovicin and her partner, Rinat Kasimov, in Israel on Sept. 30, 2025. Source: @raz_sauber_/X.
The marriage ceremony for Michelle Rukovicin and her partner, Rinat Kasimov, in Israel on Sept. 30, 2025. Source: @raz_sauber_/X.

Michelle Rukovicin, the most severely wounded survivor of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacres, married her partner on Tuesday night in a ceremony celebrated as a symbol of resilience.

The IDF intelligence systems technician, who was critically injured defending Kissufim base from Hamas terrorists and spent three months in a coma, wed her boyfriend of five years, Rinat Kasimov, the partner who remained at her side throughout her grueling recovery.

She was struck by seven bullets, wounded by grenade fragments and left bleeding for 14 hours inside her base bomb shelter. Defying medical expectations, she can walk again after undergoing an arduous rehabilitation regime.

The couple became engaged September of last year, when she was 21.

“Definitely my family, my fiancé and my best friends were an 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,” JFeed quoted her as saying in an article published on Aug. 31.

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