Walking into the room where emergency medical teams keep their belongings while on duty, Palestine Red Crescent paramedic Jihad Mansour says there isn’t a day that goes by when he doesn’t think of colleagues who have fallen in the line of their duty.
“Every time I open the locker, memories of my dear friend and colleague Fadi Al-Maani come back to me,” he says, referring to a fellow paramedic who was killed while trying to save lives in the Gaza Strip during the last year.
In 2024, International Volunteers Day [5 December] comes at the end of a year that has proven to be one of the worst in terms of the safety of humanitarian workers. On this day, we honor the contributions and sacrifices of volunteers around the world while also working to ensure all volunteers are protected from harm.
This year so far, at least 30 Red Crescent and Red Cross volunteers have died in the line of duty. Like the majority of volunteers from other organizations who were killed, most were local first responders, people like Fadi Al-Maani. Ordinary people, doing extraordinary things for others.
“If you're a first responder, you're an extraordinary human being facing different and often terrifying situations, working tirelessly day and night,” says Jihad, adding that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza has tested him even more than prior conflicts.
“I've lived through the wars in the Gaza Strip in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021. However, this war, which began in October 2023 is the longest, most intense and most violent. It has led to the highest number of casualties and injuries.”
Palestine Red Crescent volunteer Jihad Mansour carries and injured child from an ambulance into the hospital.
Photo: Palestine Red Crescent
Memories of lost colleagues and of harrowing, painful experiences are also never far from the mind of fellow Palestine Red Crescent paramedic Kamal Ahmad. “The most painful aspect of this war is the loss of those dearest to you — your friend, your brother, your colleague,” he says.
But this is not the only emotional challenge that volunteers here face.
“The most harrowing experience I had in the war was when we were called out to respond to the bombing in Deir al-Balah camp,” says Ahmad, who ended up transporting in the ambulance no less than 18 people that day. “It was extremely difficult for me because most of those we transported were children and women.”
Volunteers also face days of extreme frustration when trying to help others, as challenges of working in a war zone get in the way.
“We have faced challenges such as reaching injured people, hospital closures, insufficient equipment and medical staff,” recounts Jihad. “We have worked tirelessly, day and night without breaks or respite.
“The most draining aspect was the blocked roads, which left me stuck in the hospital while my family was displaced living in a tent in Al-Mawasi and I was unable to communicate with them or know anything about them.”
Volunteers can also be personally touched by the violence. “Receiving news of a strike near my house was agonizing,” says Ahmad. “I was distraught; I rushed out of the medical center and went home to check on my loved ones and help them evacuate. It was a tragedy in itself. I deeply miss my friends and family.
“I lost several cherished individuals. Among them were Fadi Al-Maani, Youssef Abu Muammar, Fouad Abu Khammash, Muhammad Al-Omari, my colleague and close friend with whom I used to work closely, in the same ambulance.”
Palestine Red Crescent paramedic Kamal Ahmad sitting in the driver's seat of a Red Crescent ambulance.
Photo: Palestine Red Crescent
The constant state of emergency, and heightened security, displacement of families means that volunteers are often separated from their friends and families — and their regular routines that bring them joy — just like the people they are working to help.
“We used to gather family, friends and colleagues to enjoy each other's company but now those moments are just a memory overshadowed by the violence and brutality of this war,” says Jihad.
“We enjoyed a lot of beautiful days and years together and losing them deeply affected us, leaving us emotionally drained. But we will continue our humanitarian mission until the very end.”
