Civilians: The Unsung Heroes of Gaza
Now, let’s start with the situation in the northern Gaza Strip, where civilians suddenly find themselves in roles they quite frankly never signed up for—first aiders, paramedics, and, let’s face it, every normal person’s worst nightmare. It’s like the worst kind of game of telephone, but instead of giggles, it’s life and death. You know you’re having a rough day when your doctor is miles away, and the best you can do is try not to pass out while wrapping a belt around someone’s severed leg. Talk about the pressure!
Published on: 11/26/2024 – 01:45
With our special correspondent in Ramallah, Sami Boukhelifa
A Heart-Wrenching Distress Call
Imagine this: Alaa Abu Saqer, just 24 years old, grappling with every conceivable horror after a bomb goes off directly over her head in Jabaliya. Is anyone else picturing this as the nightmare version of a family reunion gone wrong? And seriously, how does one console someone who’s just watched their family plummet into chaos? Alaa was one of the lucky ones—she was the only one conscious among 12 family members, which on one hand means she’s alive, but on the other, it’s like being the designated survivor in a really grim reality show.
Nihal Kurdi, a first aid nurse, did her best to keep Alaa from losing it while trying to save her family. “I swear, if I get one more call about someone bleeding to death from a femoral artery at a family barbecue,” she probably wasn’t thinking—but she should have been! It’s like the worst trivia question you could get: “How do you treat serious hemorrhage while your family is literally falling apart around you?”
The Harsh Reality of Blockades
What’s even worse? The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances haven’t been able to reach where all this is happening since October 6! So now the rescuers are like the world’s unluckiest phone operators, giving step-by-step first aid instructions over the phone, while the actual paramedics sit stuck in traffic—or more accurately, sit stuck on the other side of a military blockade that feels more like a concrete wall of existential dread.
“Priority for serious injuries: Describe the hemorrhage,” she must have said, only to receive the response every first-aid instructor dreads: “It’s squirting everywhere!” Cue the panic and a wild search for anything—literally anything—that resembles a clean piece of cloth.
The Tragic Toll of Conflict
Alaa Abu Saqer’s troubles don’t even stop there. The Israeli army then orders her and the survivors to Gaza City, leaving behind another twisted tale of loss. She’d already lost her husband and mother-in-law, and just five days after that fateful bombing, she lost a cousin too. You begin to wonder: At what point does someone get to say, “This is too much. I’ve had enough suffering to last a lifetime!”
To add to the pile of horror, nearly all Red Crescent centers in Gaza have been bombed, so emergency calls are shuffled like bad paperwork to Ramallah. And don’t even get me started on the casualties among the healthcare workers themselves; over 1,000 medical professionals have lost their lives in a conflict that seems to mercilessly take without remorse.
A Call for Awareness
As the world continues its slow-motion response to this crisis—“Oh, what a pity!”—let’s not forget the silent cries for help echoing from the rubble. This isn’t just a tragedy; it’s an insidious spiral into despair that could knock anyone off their feet. Those civilians in Gaza are not just pitiful victims in a news story; they are humans grappling with unimaginable loss and courage while simply trying to survive.
So, what can we do? Perhaps it’s time we stop scrolling past the headlines and start sharing these stories—because if anyone deserves a spotlight, it’s those brave enough to keep their loved ones alive, even if it means mastering DIY first aid under the most horrific circumstances imaginable.
Civilians in the northern region of the Gaza Strip have been thrust into the harrowing role of makeshift first aid responders, urgently trying to stop bleeding and treat burns as they desperately seek to save their loved ones who have been injured or tragically killed during relentless Israeli bombardments. This area of the Palestinian enclave has been effectively under siege since October 6, effectively isolating its residents. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances are no longer able to navigate the perilous conditions to reach those in need of medical assistance. Consequently, help is being dispensed remotely from the occupied West Bank, where rescuers rely on telephone communication to guide civilians through critical first aid procedures.
Published on: 11/26/2024 – 01:45
With our special correspondent in Ramallah, Sami Boukhelifa
A distress call pierces through the chaos. On the line is Alaa Abu Saqer, a 24-year-old resident whose home in Jabaliya, located in the northern Gaza Strip, has just been obliterated by an Israeli airstrike. Surrounding her are twelve family members—men, women, and children—lying motionless on the ground. Some are gravely injured, while others remain trapped beneath the rubble. This catastrophic event unfolded on October 10.
It was Nihal Kurdi, a first aid nurse, who answered this desperate call for help. “The girl who called told me she was the only one who was conscious. She was screaming and crying. The first thing to do was to calm her down, so she could help her family,” the nurse recounted. “She told me some are probably dead, others have burns and there is a case of hemorrhage. I said it’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to sort it out. Priority for serious injuries: describe the hemorrhage. She replied that it squirts everywhere. I asked her to find a clean piece of cloth or a belt. And squeeze with all her might.”
Sadly, despite the valiant efforts, the situation was critical—a leg had been severed at the thigh, damaging the femoral artery. The individual succumbed within minutes, but the calamity did not end there.
Also listen to Gaza: the chilling story of Hind’s death by Red Crescent operators
All Red Crescent centers bombed in Gaza
Just twenty-four hours after the devastating strike, Alaa Abu Saqer and the remaining survivors of her family were compelled by the Israeli army to evacuate to Gaza City, where they currently reside. “On the day of the bombing, I lost my husband, my mother-in-law, and a cousin,” she shared, her voice burdened with grief. “Five days later, one of my cousins died from her injuries. Our house was directly targeted by a strike. I swear to you that we are simple civilians. We have no connection with any armed group or faction.”
Emergency calls from the beleaguered Gaza Strip are now being rerouted to Ramallah due to the systematic bombing of nearly all Red Crescent centers within the war-torn territory. According to reports from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the ongoing conflict has resulted in the tragic deaths of over 1,000 medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, orderlies, and paramedics since the war commenced.
Also listen: Israel-Gaza War: “Desperate situation in Gaza amid astounding silence from the international community”
