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\nAlthough this is the first death reported on the Israeli side, several soldiers have been injured from stray shells and incendiary devices. Last March an explosive device detonated along the border fence not far from the Druze village of Majdal Shams. At the time four Israeli soldiers were wounded, one with serious injuries.
\nSuch events however, have not stopped the flow of Syrians seeking medical attention in Israeli hospitals. This phenomenon has been going on since the beginning of the conflict where wounded civilians and even combatants have been receiving medical treatment in Israeli hospitals and then returned to Syria. It is of such note that even the Arab media Aljazeera has reported it. Noting that although Israel and Syria are technically at war and that \u201crecovering the Golan Heights is a shared goal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime and the opposition,\u201d and even though a roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers, \u201cstill, Israel\u2019s Military Medical Corp has opened its doors to the most seriously injured Syrian patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview with army doctor Col. Dr. Salman Zarka, the doctor relates how he \u201cswore to give medical assistance to people in need\u201d and established a field hospital near the Syrian border. Although some of those helped are civilians caught in the crossfire, Zarka explains, most are rebel and government fighters who are not able to receive proper medical assistance in Syria. He notes as one example a man he identifies as Ibrahim. \u201cIbrahim used to be an Assad regime officer,\u201d says Zarka. \u201cHe told us very clearly, he used to think we are inhuman and now that we saved his life, he thinks different.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doctor who is a Druze citizen of Israel, is able to speak Arabic with his patients and place them at ease. Israeli paramedics patrolling the border actually seek out those who are in need of medical assistance, providing treatment. When that is not sufficient they are transferred to a field hospital while those in need of extensive surgery are brought to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, about an hour away.<\/p>\n
One of those treated, a civilian, tells how he was caught in a car crash that left him with a compound fracture of his leg. He explained that he could not return to his home since he would be stopped at the government checkpoints and that anyone with an injury would be treated as a member of the FSA, Free Syrian Army and shot. He then crossed over into Israel where he received extensive surgery and restoration to his damaged leg. <\/p>\n
Dr. Shukri Qaisis explains that seeking aid from the Israelis can be a traumatic experience. \u201cThey are afraid,\u201d says Qaisis. \u201cWe are the enemy.\u201d He says he treats civilians and combatants alike and that the patients are grateful.
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