An Inside Look into the Israeli Hospital that Saves Syrian Lives
Published on: January 28, 2014
For the past three years, death
has become a way of life for Syrian civilians, who are caught in the throes of
a brutal civil war. Last year, the IDF set up a field hospital to treat wounded
Syrian civilians near the northern border.
Regardless of the tense relations between Israel and
Syria, who are still officially at war, IDF soldiers have continued to apply a
core Jewish value: “Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world.”
On February 16, 2013, seven
wounded civilians from Syria approached Israel’s border in urgent need of help.
Colonel Tariff Bader, a Druze officer, heads an Israeli field hospital near the
border. He began his IDF service in 1993, and after completing his medical
studies, rose the IDF’s ranks to become a senior medical officer in the IDF’s Northern Command.
“They arrived on Shabbat and were
treated by the same people who treat IDF soldiers in the Golan Heights,” Col.
Bader explained. “The ethical code of the IDF Medical Corps clearly states that soldiers must assist anyone who is sick or wounded – whether they are associated with the enemy or not.”
The incident on the border began the IDF’s extraordinary mission to
assist Syrian civilians in need.
The victims of the civil war in
Syria
Recently, the Israeli-Syrian border has become a focal point of
tension due to the ongoing Syrian rebellion against the regime of President
Bashar al-Assad. The main victims of this internal conflict are Syrian
civilians. According to the United Nations, at least 100,000 Syrians have been
killed in the fighting over the past three years.
“When we realized we would be
receiving many patients, we decided to build a field hospital so that we could treat people with serious
injuries who require immediate care,”
Col. Bader said, explaining that the victims were so badly injured that they
would not have survived the trip to a civilian hospital.
“There has not been a single case in which an injured
Syrian was denied medical treatment by the IDF or by a civilian hospital,” said
Col. Bader. “I’m sure of that.”
A daily challenge to save lives
The Israeli hospital facility,
which continues to operate today, includes surgery, orthopedics and radiology
divisions. On a regular basis, nurses and orderlies lend a hand to IDF doctors at the border. Cases that call for serious operations
require cooperation between the IDF Medical Corps and Israeli civilian medical
services.
The field hospital is located very close to the
border, making it a potential target for Syrians looking to exploit the
conflict to attack Israel.
WATCH the IDF respond to Syrian
fire on Israeli territory:
In the past, mortar fire from Syria has wounded IDF
soldiers in Israel. Despite the dangers of their work, soldiers risk their
lives to treat Syrian victims. In many cases, medical forces must treat Syrian
patients without any knowledge of their medical histories or health conditions.
Despite the absence of cooperation between Israeli and Syrian medical services,
some patients arrive with notes from Syrian doctors describing recommended
care. These notes, written in Arabic or English, have become the only form of
communication between doctors from the two countries.
While discussing the relationship between Israeli
soldiers and Syrian victims, Col. Bader explained that their connection is
quickly strengthening. “The Syrian people trust us now,” he said. “During the
first month or so, they were a little hesitant to come to Israel. Today that is
no longer the case.”
Once the patients return to Syria, any evidence of
their presence in Israel can put their lives in grave danger. In order to keep
the civilians safe, the IDF takes painstaking measures to remove any indication
that they received care in Israel.
Committed to humanitarian aid
Soldiers who serve in the hospital are deeply
committed to their humanitarian work. As an expression of respect for the
hospital, people all over the world have sent gifts to members of the medical
team. Soldiers have received everything from clothing, gift cards and radios
from people abroad, who have also sent gifts intended for Syrian patients.
A large number of the patients suffer extreme trauma
as a result of the conflict. After seeing death and destruction all around
them, they carry difficult memories that are just as painful as their physical
wounds. To e
ase the psychological trauma of children, clowns visit the hospital on a regular basis, giving the young patients a chance to smile and laugh.
“I myself am a father,” Col. Bader said. “The injuries
of children leave the greatest impact on me. I remember a girl whose femur was
completely shattered. Had our forces not been there to help her, she would have
died or been disabled for the rest of her life. I am honored to do this work,
both as a physician and a citizen of Israel. Some patients who arrived
unconscious were shocked to find themselves in Israel when they woke up.
Fortunately, other Syrians in the hospital helped us calm them down.”
This is not Col. Bader’s first
time representing a major humanitarian effort as an IDF soldier. He was also a
part of the IDF delegation to Haiti in 2010. Whenever he speaks publicly, he is clearly moved by
his experiences. “I feel exactly the same about the lives we save on our own
border,” he concluded. “It fills me with pride to accomplish this mission.”
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