Refaat Radwan recorded his ultimate venture and his personal ultimate breaths.
He used to be filming from the 3rd ambulance in a convoy, which integrated a fireplace truck, that had long past out to discover a Palestine Purple Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance that had misplaced touch with its base.
All of the automobiles within the convoy had been obviously marked, with emergency lighting fixtures flashing.
Within the video, the team participants see the lacking ambulance by way of the facet of the street and manner, muttering prayers for his or her colleagues’ protection.
Then a voice says: “They’re scattered at the flooring! Glance, glance!” and Refaat runs out of his ambulance with different medics to test at the fallen help staff.
Then the sound of bullets rings out as Israeli infantrymen shoot at uniformed medics who had been working to lend a hand the medics they’d already killed. Refaat used to be hit.
In his ultimate moments, he prayed and known as again and again to his mom to forgive him – for opting for the trail of a paramedic, placing himself in hurt’s means.
Israeli infantrymen killed 8 PRCS staff that night time, in addition to six staff from the Palestinian Civil Defence who had long past out at the similar venture.
A 9th paramedic, Assaad al-Nassasra, used to be captured.
(Al Jazeera)
Listed here are the Purple Crescent medics Israel ambushed that day, throughout the eyes of the individuals who beloved them:
The quiet one: Ashraf Abu Labda
Along with his glasses and severe face, Ashraf used to be all the time a reassuring presence for his colleagues.
The 32-year-old medic had began volunteering with the PRCS in 2021.
He briefly built-in into the PRCS group, ensuring that each one his colleagues had a meal for iftar right through Ramadan. He would both prepare dinner it himself on the Purple Crescent centre or convey a few of his circle of relatives’s meals from house to percentage.
In September 2023, he were given married, and one month later, Israel introduced its genocidal warfare on Gaza.
When he used to be killed, he left in the back of his spouse and their two-month-old child woman, Wiam.
The circle of relatives guy: Ezzeddin Shaath
Ezzeddin used to be 51 when Israeli infantrymen killed him, and a father to 6 youngsters.
The devoted circle of relatives guy had a perfect sense of humour, however the warfare on Gaza stripped that clear of him as he step by step stopped guffawing.
He joined the PRCS in 2000, and 4 years later, he married Nivine, with whom he had 4 boys and two women.
At paintings, he remained a type of caregiver, ensuring his colleagues were given no less than a bit leisure each night time and one thing to devour.
His motto about rescue paintings used to be: “Whether it is written, we’ll make it again [from a mission], and if we don’t make it again, that’s our future,” his colleague Ibrahim Abu al-Kass informed Al Jazeera.
(Al Jazeera)
The miracle employee: Mohamed Bahloul
A seven-year veteran of the Purple Crescent, 36-year-old Mohamed beloved his paintings, as any of his colleagues would inform you.
Throughout crises, he would keep on the Purple Crescent centre, best going house to peer his spouse and 6 youngsters as soon as per week.
His youngsters ranged in age from 3 months to 11 years outdated on the time Israel killed Mohamed. Bereaved and at a loss for words, the youngsters are clinging to the concept that their father died on a humanitarian venture, making him a “martyr”.
His colleagues have in mind him for simply figuring issues out, Abu al-Kass mentioned. If ever Mohamed heard of a circle of relatives that used to be being displaced and wanted lend a hand, he would make it occur.
Since he himself couldn’t use ambulances to transport folks’s property, he would sweet-talk his friends and family till he discovered delivery and refuge for individuals who had been displaced.
(Al Jazeera)
The rescuers: Mustafa Khafaga and Mohamed al-Heila
Mustafa used to be 50 with a 15-year-old son, and Mohamed used to be 23 and unmarried, but if they were given in combination, their antics had been mythical.
“One wet day, the ones two had been strolling alongside after they noticed an aged girl seeking to move the street, but it surely used to be too rainy and slippery,” Abu al-Kass mentioned.
“So that they checked out every different. One mentioned: ‘So, are we companions or what? It doesn’t matter what the venture is?’ and the opposite mentioned: ‘After all we’re!’”
(Al Jazeera)
They went and were given a chair and taken it as much as the lady, requested her to sit down down, after which lifted the chair and walked her sparsely around the street, beaming all of the time.
“They had been wearing her like she used to be a bride,” Abu al-Kass persisted. The elated girl used to be guffawing and cheering, he added, and despatched loving prayers after her two rescuers.
(Al Jazeera)
The photographer: Raed el-Sharif
Raed, 25, beloved taking photos. Foolish ones, severe ones, informal ones, posed ones.
And he was hoping that in the future the sector would see his photographs and he would be capable to put across the struggling of his folks thru his paintings.
He started volunteering with the PRCS in 2018, when he used to be 18, right through the Nice March of Go back protests.
Israel killed 214 protesters, together with 46 youngsters, right through those demonstrations, and injured 36,100, together with just about 8,800 youngsters.
The youngest out of 5 siblings, Raed wasn’t married but, despite the fact that his circle of relatives have been hoping he may just get married after the warfare. However that didn’t occur.
Raed’s father recounts a harrowing nine-day wait to determine what took place to his youngest kid, preventing to carry again the knowledge that he have been carried out at the side of his colleagues.
(Al Jazeera)
The great grandson: Refaat Radwan
Twenty-four-year-old Refaat used to be a steady soul, Abu al-Kass informed Al Jazeera.
“He particularly made certain to lend a hand any aged girl he got here throughout. If he noticed this kind of girl status in line to assemble her drugs from the clinic pharmacy, he would ask her to sit down down and pass fetch the medications for her.
“It used to be like he sought out the prayers those delicate girls would say for him when he helped them. He would convey them what they wanted, then would bid them farewell so tenderly that anybody observing would suppose she used to be his grandmother.”
(Al Jazeera)
The bold one: Saleh Muammar
Saleh, 42, preferred to lend a hand. On that, everybody is of the same opinion.
His brother Hussein informed Al Jazeera that Saleh additionally beloved his paintings, dashing again once he recovered from surgical procedure in 2024.
Remaining February, Hussein defined, Saleh have been on a venture to lend a hand wounded folks when Israeli forces had opened fireplace at the medics, regardless of having been knowledgeable that they might be there.
Saleh used to be badly injured within the shoulder and chest, and ended up having to spend time in clinic for surgical procedure and restoration, and then he went instantly again to paintings.
That used to be his bravery, Abu al-Kass commented. “He used to be devoted to serving to, and used to mention that anyplace folks had been crying out for lend a hand, that’s the place we must be, to answer them.”
(Al Jazeera)
MISSING – The kid whisperer: Assaad al-Nassasra
Assaad all the time confirmed never-ending persistence for negotiating with children, Abu al-Kass mentioned.
Each time he noticed youngsters taking part in on the street, he would get to wheeling and working, providing them sweet to get off the street and pass play someplace secure.
The children briefly figured him out, although, and can be taking part in on the street once more the following time, guffawing and announcing: “We tricked you!”
However Assaad by no means minded, and easily saved delivering candies.
His frame wasn’t amongst the ones discovered when a global venture went to seek for the lacking emergency staff.
He used to be captured, sure and brought away, consistent with the only surviving witness, Munther Abed.
The 47-year-old father of six ultimate spoke to his circle of relatives the night time he disappeared, telling them he used to be on his method to PRCS headquarters to have iftar together with his colleagues, consistent with his son Mohamed.
After they attempted to name him round suhoor time, he didn’t reply, they usually discovered from headquarters that no person may just succeed in him or the opposite emergency staff.
He had all the time warned his circle of relatives that each time he headed out on a venture, he would possibly not make it again, his son mentioned. However as Assaad persisted his rescue paintings for PRCS, they’d all the time attempted to steer clear of interested by that.
(Al Jazeera)
