烽火加沙,浴血救护

Ibrahim Abuelkas is eight hours into his 24-hour shift， and every minute is filled with new risks. Suddenly， the 35-year-old gets a signal from his colleague Saed Zaineddin ― the emergency phone call operator ― and the red and white 2）ambulance is off again.

There is not much talking on the way to the location， as Abuelkas says he is “entering the unknown.” Abuelkas and his driver use body language and gestures more than words. Within a few minutes， they are driving sideby-side with another ambulance， also headed to the city’s al-Zaytoun neighborhood.

Abuelkas does not know what exactly to expect when he steps out of the van. The moment he arrives， people run towards him， screaming， “Ambulance， come here， come here！” The people here expect another Israeli airstrike to hit at any minute， and they are 3）frantically trying to 4）evacuate the women and children.

The ambulance driver quickly navigates through the crowd， lights flashing， to assist a number of residents that have been injured by an Israeli bomb. “Usually we travel in ambulance pairs to the same location to assist as much as possible，”says Abuelkas， as the ambulance sirens wail.

The injured are helped into the back of the ambulance， which then rushes towards al-Shifa hospital. The moment it arrives， the Operational Rescue Team opens the ambulance doors to offload the patients， who are taken on 5）stretchers to reception and 6）triage.

The workers clean the ambulance， check that supplies are stocked， and take a brief rest with other ambulance crews until the next call comes in. Then， it’s time to move again， this time to another part of Gaza.

Since the shelling of Gaza began on July 8， close to 200 7）Palestinians have been killed and more than 1，400 wounded. Attempts at an Egyptbrokered cease-fire collapsed Tuesday， with the 8）resumption of Israeli strikes and continued Hamas rockets. With fresh raids， comes the prospect of further 9）casualties.

Ambulance drivers in Gaza have been working nonstop in extremely difficult conditions throughout the Israeli military 10）offensive. According to the United Nations， one doctor has been killed and 19 medical staff have been injured in Gaza since July 7， while two hospitals， four clinics， one treatment center， and four ambulances have sustained damage from Israeli airstrikes.

The emotional impact has also taken a toll on medical workers in the besieged coastal 11）enclave. Abuelkas told 12）Al Jazeera that one of the worst calls he responded to was to help the al-Batsh family； 18 members of the same family were killed by an Israeli missile in Gaza City.

When he got to the site of the bombing， he didn’t know what he would find. At the house， he met women， children and old men； everyone was either screaming， crying or silent， in shock. He said the most difficult part was collecting 13）dismembered body parts to identify the dead and prepare them for burial.

“This was a terrible， emotional mission. We found all types of injuries ― light [and] medium to critical， body parts blown off， 14）amputated limbs， and other dead bodies，” he says.

For many days during the Israeli assault， the roads in Gaza City were empty， as residents hid indoors. “I have been afraid of bombing， but the fear of the unknown haunts me，” Abuelkas says， while holding a 15）Quran and reciting prayers in the lulls between calls.

Abuelkas started this job in 2008. While he says his first months on the job were challenging， his colleagues now say he has become more experienced， and he is able to deal with more difficult situations. He witnessed three major Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip； Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009， Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012； and the current escalation in July 2014.

He says he saw a difference between the three wars： “In 2008 we saw missiles split flesh into chunks， missiles that burned into the whole body and amputated limbs clean off， like a surgeon. Compared with today’s attack， [when] we mostly find missiles that 16）dissolve flesh into even smaller scraps. It’s more violent， if that’s possible.”

Attending to Gaza’s injured isn’t the only thing on Abuelkas’ mind， however. When he’s working， his thoughts inevitably turn to his own family， and his five children ― the eldest is 12， and the youngest is only one. His family lives in al-Zaytoun， one of the worst hit areas in the recent Israeli bombings.

As much as he worries about his wife and children， they also worry about him. “When they see me on live TV carrying bodies， at least they know I’m alive，” he says， as his operator informs him of another air strike and more casualties.

Finally， after spending 24 hours rushing between tragedies， Abuelkas’ shift finally ends.“At least then， I know [that] whatever happens， I’m with my family.”

易卜拉欣・阿布拉卡斯的24小时值班已过了8个小时，每一分钟都充满着新的危机。突然，35岁的他收到同事塞德・扎伊丁发来的信号――塞德是负责接听紧急电话的，然后红白两色的救护车再一次出发了。

在驶往目的地的路上，大家都没怎么说话，因为阿布拉卡斯说他对接下来的事“茫然不知”。阿布拉卡斯和他的司机更多地是采用肢体语言和动作来交流，而不是话语。几分钟后，他们和另外一辆同样是驶往该市阿尔扎伊图区的救护车并肩而行。

阿布拉卡斯不知道他踏出小车后将会遇到什么情况。抵达的瞬间，人们涌向他，叫喊着：“救护车，来这里，来这里！”这里的人认为随时还会再来一次以色列空袭，于是他们发狂似地疏散妇女和儿童。

救护车司机驾驶着车子迅速地在人群中穿梭，灯光闪来闪去，前往救助那些被以色列炮弹炸伤的居民。“通常我们都是两辆救护车同时前往以尽可能地救助更多的人。” 阿布拉卡斯说道，此时救护车的警笛一直长鸣着。

伤者被送入救护车的后部，然后车子就匆忙驶往阿尔希法医院。救护车一抵达，救援队就马上把车门打开，接下患者，用担架把他们抬到接待处进行伤员验伤分类。

工作人员清理救护车，检查物资的储备，然后和其他救护车人员作短暂的休息，直到下一次传唤。不久，又一次行动开始，这次是到加沙的另一个地方。

自从7月8日对加沙的炮轰开始后，已有近200名巴勒斯坦人遇袭身亡，超过1400人受伤。在周二埃及提出的停火协议失败后，以色列的进攻和哈马斯的火箭炮再度燃起。随新一轮空袭而来的将是更多的伤亡。

在以色列的军事进攻下，加沙的救护车司机们于极其险恶的条件中不停工作。据联合国统计，自7月7日以来，加沙地区已有一名医生丧生和19名医护人员受伤，同时有两所医院、四家诊所、一间治疗中心，以及四辆救护车在以色列的空袭中受到破坏。

这片受困的沿海地区中的医护人员同时还遭受着严重的精神创伤。阿布拉卡斯告诉半岛新闻台他遇到过的最糟糕的救护情况之一是去帮助阿尔巴茨的一家，其中有18名家庭成员被以色列向加沙投下的一枚导弹给杀害了。

当他去到轰炸后的现场，他都不知道会发现什么情况。在屋子里，他看到妇女、孩子和老人们；每个人不是在叫喊、在痛哭就是沉默不语，全部都被吓坏了。他说最困难的部分是收集支离破碎的尸体以确定死者身份，以及整理死者遗体以准备葬礼。

“这是一件惨不忍睹、让人极其难受的任务。我们遇到各种各样的伤――轻伤、中度的和致命的，身体部位被炸掉的，各种断肢，还有其他尸体，”他如是说。

在以色列攻击下的好多天里，加沙市里的道路都是没人的，因为居民们都躲在室内。“我也害怕炮轰，但对未知的恐惧常常萦绕着我，” 阿布拉卡斯一边说道，一边在出车呼叫间的短暂停歇时捧着《可兰经》背诵祈祷词。

阿布拉卡斯是在2008年开始这份工作的。他说刚开始的几个月他感到工作很困难，而如今他的同事则认为他的经验丰富了许多，能够应对更加困难的情况。他目击过以色列三次主要的加沙行动：2008年至2009年的“铸铅行动”，2012年的“防卫之柱”行动，以及2014年7月逐步扩大的现况。

他说他看到了三次战争中的区别：“2008年的时候，我们看到导弹把肉体炸成一大块一大块的，导弹把整个躯体和断肢烧光殆尽，像外科医生。和今天的袭击相比较，我们大致发现导弹把人体炸得更加粉碎。这种导弹威力更加暴力，要是我能形容的话。”

然而，阿布拉卡斯心里挂念的并不仅仅是救治伤者。当他工作时，他不可避免地会想到他的家庭，还有他那五个孩子――最大的12岁，最小的才1岁。他的家人就住在阿尔扎伊图区，是最近以色列轰炸最严重的其中一个片区。

如同他担心自己的妻儿一样，他们也在担心他。“当他们从现场报道看到我抬着尸体时，至少他们能知道我还活着，”他说着，这时他的话务员告诉他又有一次空袭以及更多的伤亡发生了。

最后，在各种惨剧间狂奔疾走了24小时后，阿布拉卡斯的轮值终于结束了。“至少在那时，我知道，不管发生了什么事，我终可与家人在一起了。”

小链接

以色列对加沙发动的主要军事行动

巴勒斯坦领土分为约旦河西岸和加沙地带两部分。加沙地带是位于以色列以西地中海沿岸的一个狭长地区。2005年，以色列根据单边行动计划完成从加沙地带撤军，结束了对这一地带长达38年的占领。而此后，加沙地带和以色列之间冲突不断。以色列以打击巴勒斯坦武装人员为由，多次对加沙地带展开大规模军事行动，其中主要有“夏雨”、“秋云”、“热冬”、“铸铅行动”、“防卫之柱”和“护刃行动”。

2008年底至2009年初，以色列以回应火箭弹袭击、恢复南部地区稳定为由发动“铸铅行动”。行动共造成1400多名巴勒斯坦人丧生，5500余人受伤。

2012年11月，以色列发起“防卫之柱”军事行动，以报复哈马斯向以境内发射火箭弹。期间，共有近160名巴勒斯坦人丧生，1300多人受伤。

2014年7月，以色列发起“护刃行动”，旨在保护以色列南部地区的民众免受来自加沙地带火箭弹的袭击。