Gaza civil defense volunteer reflects on the daily dangers of war
Date
1/20/2025 7:03:44 AM
(MENAFN) Since the war began, the job had become Hatem Al-Atar’s entire life. Many of the people he was trying to help were his neighbors, people he had known since childhood.
At 25, Hatem wasn’t married, and his bravery wasn't impulsive or naive. He fully understood that death could come at any moment.
“Every day of this war, from October 7 until now, has been difficult. Every second has been hard. You could lose your life or someone you love in an instant,” Hatem reflects.
He sits in the civil defense office in Deir al-Balah, surrounded by his fellow rescuers. They converse and check their phones, each one a survivor in their own right.
Ninety-four of their colleagues had been killed, and over 300 were injured — nearly half of Gaza’s civil defense force.
For Hatem, death was never far away. He remembers being knocked off his feet by an explosion near Nasser Hospital.
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