IDF paramedics treat all injuries and emergencies in the West Bank

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With tensions high in Jerusalem and the West Bank, IDF paramedics are on high alert to treat wounded patients, be they Israeli or Palestinian.

“At the end of the day, we are giving medical care to everyone,” said paramedic St.-Sgt. Natan Kamenezky. “We don’t differentiate between Jews and Arabs, Palestinian or Israeli soldiers. We give our all to our patients, whoever they are. It’s part of our training, and when you get to a wounded person, you don’t see who he is. You see him as someone who needs medical treatment. It doesn’t matter at the moment what he did. What matters is how he is, and we have to be fully professional and treat him.”

From the central city of Lod, Kamenezky serves as a paramedic in the southern West Bank near Hebron.

“There are a lot of Jews and Palestinians in this area, and we are responsible for giving medical care to everyone,” he said.

The area around Hebron has been a hotbed of violence for years. From youths throwing rocks at Israeli vehicles to stabbings, vehicular rammings and shooting attacks, the area near the flashpoint city has challenged IDF forces.

In an attempt to thwart terrorist attacks following a spate of deadly assaults in Israeli cities that claimed the lives of 14 Israelis in 17 days, the IDF has been carrying out arrest raids on a daily basis as part of what they’ve dubbed “Operation Break the Wave.”

During the arrests, clashes have often broken out between security forces and Palestinians, leading to the deaths of several rioters. Palestinians have also attempted to stab Israeli soldiers, including one woman attacker who was shot dead in Hebron by Border Police.

The woman, 25-year-old Maha Kazem, slightly wounded a Border Police officer outside the Tomb of the Patriarchs on April 10.

Kamenezky responded to the attack, treating the officer and his mental state.

“The officer was lightly wounded, so here we needed to provide mental care as well during those few moments following the attack,” he said. On Tuesday, he met the officer again, “closing the circle and seeing that treating a person’s mental state is just as important.”

But it’s not only treating those who are wounded in attacks. IDF paramedics are also responsible for providing medical care to people who are injured, for example, in car accidents.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-704717