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Hebron, Occupied West Bank – In her 25 years as a paramedic, Jawdat al-Muhtaseb has worked through difficult times, from the second intifada to the heightened tensions in 2015 and then to the current situation, where fatalities have increased due to the impact of Israel's war on Gaza . Israeli violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The 46-year-old Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medic has been shot three times, but the images he sees on his television from Gaza every night are the hardest to deal with psychologically.
Tensions continue to rise in the West Bank, where at least 433 Palestinians have been killed since the war on Gaza began on October 7, including more than 116 children, mostly as a result of Israeli raids. And Jawdat can't escape the idea that the devastation he has seen in Gaza will soon be reality where he is.
His family is equally worried.
Jawdat's eldest child, eight-year-old Muhammad, asks if they would ever be in a situation where Jawdat would have to rescue them from their bombed home, like the photos he sees from Gaza. Six-year-old Saba asks Jawdat how he would react if he saw her and her two siblings dead.
“I have not yet received answers (to the questions), and I cannot understand their questions,” Jawdat tells Al Jazeera from a PRCS facility in Hebron. “But despite these difficulties and extremely difficult psychological conditions, I have accepted (the situation) in which we work and I am proud of the humanitarian mission we are carrying out.”
Israeli sanctions
PRCS paramedics work around the clock to provide services to Palestinians. They deal with everything from traffic accidents to attacks by the Israeli military and settlers.
One of Jawdat's co-workers, Lina Amro, 42, is a mother of five and has been working for PRCS for 15 years.
She describes her typical day – getting her children ready for school, then going to work, putting on her uniform and preparing her first aid kit before waiting to be called.
But since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, the job has become harder.
Israeli forces have increased the number of road closures to Palestinians in the West Bank, making wait times for Jawdat and Lina very long and sometimes preventing them from being able to arrive in time to save casualties. Used to be.
“There is increased fear and dread because of the many dangers that surround us and the difficulties and obstacles we face during our work,” Lina told Al Jazeera.
Those restrictions, which Israel says are necessary for security reasons, have forced paramedics to look for alternatives — but that could create problems.
“The entrances to the cities are closed at night, so when someone needs to get to a hospital, we use a handover method at the checkpoint,” Jawdat says, explaining how ambulances pass through both of the checkpoints. And then physically hand them over. Be patient instead of crossing the checkpoint with the vehicle.
“This is risky and prevents us from getting near checkpoints, plus death threats and bullets fired towards us prevent us from being able to bring the patient immediately (to the hospital),” explains Javadat. “In some cases, it took 75 minutes instead of 10 minutes, which is dangerous for the patient… We need every minute to save someone's life.”
targeting Palestinians
Jawdat says the threat to paramedics is increasing, especially in the wake of Israel's killing of more than 350 medical workers in Gaza and repeated attacks on hospitals.
“The Israeli army targets every Palestinian… even though we are protected as an organization by international humanitarian law,” Jawdat says, pointing to the killing of two PRCS paramedics in Gaza, who were It was sent to rescue six-year-old Hind Rajab, who pleaded for help after Israeli forces killed all the family members in the car with her.
“There was ongoing coordination with the Red Cross to ensure that the ambulance reached the child's location, and when the message came allowing the ambulance crews to proceed, our colleagues headed to the location,” explains Jawdat. “Within less than half an hour, communications with colleagues inside the vehicle were cut off, and for a period of 12 days, we were not allowed to proceed towards the location, and we were unable to obtain any information. Were unable (to say anything about what had happened).”
He says the Red Crescent was forced to wait for the troops to withdraw and then found only “a melted vehicle” and “decomposed bodies”.
Israel says it only targets sites where Hamas fighters are hidden or infrastructure and denies targeting civilians. But the story of Hind's rescue attempt illustrates the dangers Palestinian paramedics face in an environment where they know their medical uniforms can offer little protection from Israeli fire.
This is a reality that Jawdat and Lina grapple with every day as they hope to make it home for their families.
“(It's dangerous) especially here in Hebron… where (Palestinians) mix with the settlers, who throw stones at us,” says Lena. “After October 7, it is not the same as before. …We pray every time before we go in our ambulance.”