Story from the front line Israel

Eli Beer, President  of the United Hatzalah in Israel is contacting Laurent Colasse weekly to tell him stories of his country.

“Dear Laurent,

Times are hard here in Israel. As Operation Defensive Edge escalates, it is clear that it is not simply a small operation but a full-fledged war, the strongest of which we have experienced since the First Lebanon War. Yet, we can all take pride in the remarkable selflessness and altruism of our volunteers who are rotating in and out of the “war zone”, running from missile attack to missile attack, literally risking their lives in order to help others instead of running for cover.

Just today, two young teens went into the water at Nitzanim Beach, between Ashdod and Ashkelon, in between air raid sirens. Lifeguards saw the teens struggling and raced into the waves to pull them, both unconscious, from the water. One was still breathing but the other kids’ heart had already stopped. Two of our volunteers from Petach Tikva, who were there providing extra help for the South, responded to the scene and began to triage and treat the victims. Priority one was to get that kids heart beating again.

Ignoring the heat exacerbated by the heavy bulletproof Kevlar vest under their bright orange rescue vests the medics got to work. Chest compressions, ventilations, shocks from the defibrillator. It looked like this kid might get a second chance. Then the siren blared, rockets from Gaza could begin raining down on them any moment. Shelter was a short jog away. The medics didn’t hesitate, they hunched a little closer using their armor clad bodies as shields for the 2 young victims as they continued to fight for life. Within minutes a pulse returned. The fear, the sweat and effort was eminently worthwhile. Both kids would live. The dull thud in the distance was oddly reassuring that the immediate threat to the rescuers and victims passed.

Thank you for always being behind the team in their heroic efforts.

Best wishes,
Eli ”

Eli Beer