Severely disabled, he is now ready to return home; but incredibly, he has been denied government aid because he lives in a Jewish settlement in Samaria.

The married father of two is from the community of Ofra where he will begin a long and painful rehabilitation process. His home will require expensive renovations to accommodate his disabilities, to the tune of 600,000 shekels ($156,000). While the government usually covers such expenses for vets, HaYisraeli’s status as a “settler” rendered him ineligible.

A grassroots group called My Israel came to the rescue, setting up an online fundraising campaign for the handicapped soldier. Israelis responded generously, quickly donating much more than what was needed: 1.4 million shekels ($364,000) in just a few days.

The HaYisraeli family published a short, touching video clip of Yehuda saying, “Thank you to the people of Israel!”