A Muslim doctor who usually comes to save others has to save himself when he is shot and taken hostage by Hamas terrorists disguised as Israeli Defense Force soldiers and used as human shields.
When Hamas launched its terror campaign against Israel on Saturday morning, Dr. Tarek Abu Arar, 33, was immediately caught in a surprise attack on his way to the ER at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, a coastal city near the Gaza border.
As the United Hatzalah volunteer medic approached the junction near Sderot, he came across a person who appeared to be injured on the side of the road next to a 4×4 vehicle.
“At that time, there were no reports of any infiltration,” said Abu Arar, who heard the country’s “red alert” siren about 20 minutes earlier — prompting him to make a life-saving decision.
“Thankfully … I had decided to put on my bulletproof vest,” he said, adding that he assessed the situation as a routine car accident and decided to help.
Dr. Tarek Abu Arar, 33, was immediately caught up in the surprise attack on his way to his shift.
That’s when the doctor, who was one of four United Hatzalah volunteers injured in Saturday’s conflict, learned he had been tricked.
Someone in an IDF uniform about 160 feet away began “signaling” for Abu Arar to help, he said, according to an email from the medical services organization. When he was about 30 feet away, “he suddenly shot me in the chest. I started screaming and praying, sure I was going to die,” he said.
“I thought he was a soldier who had mistaken me for a terrorist.”
He heard a man say, “Stop, stop, he’s an Arab” in Arabic. “This is when I understood they were Hamas terrorists.”
Someone in an IDF uniform began “gesturing” to Abu Arar to help.AFP via Getty Images Abu Arar said that their uniforms were very similar to those of the IDF.ZUMAPRESS.com Hamas terrorists questioned Abu Arar about his understanding of Islam.ATEF SAFADI/ EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
At that moment, Abu Arar counted about 10 additional men in military uniform from the bushes and descended on him, questioning him in Arabic.
“They asked me questions to check my knowledge about Islam. They have Kalashnikovs and very sophisticated military equipment and wear green uniforms that look similar to IDF uniforms,” said a doctor specializing in internal medicine.
“They tied me to a post in the middle of the intersection and said, ‘That’s it – we have a hostage. The IDF can’t wipe us out from the air anymore’ and started shooting at every car that passed through the intersection, making sure to kill every passenger in the car,” said Abu Arar, who had to watch the carnage for two hours.
The worst attack on Israel in 50 years: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches its biggest attack on Israel in 50 years.
More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed, more than 3,000 injured and at least 100 taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
Hamas terrorists are seen taking women hostage and parading them through the streets in a gruesome video.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and promised Hamas would pay an “unprecedented price.”
Gaza health officials reported at least 1,050 Palestinians killed and more than 5,000 injured.
“It was terrible … The army arrived at the scene and there was a shootout between the terrorists and the army, with me in the middle.”
A Hamas terrorist shot Abu Arar in the leg “from point blank range” “and signaled with his hand that the next bullet would be in my head,” he added.
“I started bleeding quite a lot. All this time, I prayed for a miracle. I was convinced that I was about to die.”
About 45 minutes after the IDF retreated, Yamam commandos — Israel’s National Counter Terrorism Unit — arrived, “eliminated” every terrorist and rescued Abu Arar. They applied a tourniquet to his leg before he was taken to Soroka Hospital, where he was treated and later released.
As soon as the troops arrived, there was a shootout between them and Hamas terrorists.REUTERS Abu Arar was taken to Soroka Hospital, where he was treated and later released.ZUMAPRESS.com Maor Shalom, another United Hatzalah volunteer, was killed trying to save his life after he was called as part of the Israeli security forces.ZUMAPRESS.com
“This was the worst experience of my life,” said the doctor, who was receiving treatment at home in Arara BaNegev and thinking about a fellow Muslim United Hatzalah volunteer, who was injured and kidnapped by Hamas while he was providing medical coverage at a music festival in where 260 revelers were killed Saturday.
“I have dedicated my life to helping others and saving lives, both in my profession as a doctor and my volunteering with United Hatzalah,” said Abu Arar.
“Having to witness the horrible slaughter done before my eyes was horrible. I have no words to describe it. It was terrible.”
Maor Shalom, another United Hatzalah volunteer, was killed trying to save his life after he was called as part of the Israeli security forces.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
