Humanitarian Aid on the Volatile Syrian Border
ISIS, al-Nusra Front, Syrian Rebels, and the Syrian government itself are all players in the back and forth fighting taking place on Israel’s northern border with Syria. Regardless of who’s in control, the civilian population in Syria is put in the middle of the fighting. In order to help civilians injured in this fighting, the IDF operates a field hospital on the Syrian border to receive wounded individuals.
22.02.15
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The Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border is rife with instability. A variety of militant organizations – including ISIS and the al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front – and the Syrian Army are in a back and forth struggle over control of the region.
“The army is continually prepared in this sector…we are learning and preparing for the situation on the ground, preparing to fight,” said Sgt. Chatooka, a soldier in the Golani Reconnaissance Company. This unit guards the border and has experienced a range of events, from the takeover of the Quneitra Crossing to the bombing of rebel forces by the Syrian regime.
Quneitra as seen from Israel
The fighting frequently wounds civilians living in the towns and villages on the Israel-Syria border. Therefore, the IDF operates a field hospital in the Golan Heights to treat wounded Syrian civilians affected by the civil war ravaging the country. “We help civilians who are injured by Syrian Army attacks or by the rebels,” asserted Golani Company Commander Maj. Simon Sisso. “This is what differentiates us from everyone else: the fact that we do not discriminate against women, by race, religion or anything else.”
No matter what happens on the other side of the border, the IDF is constantly prepared for combat emanating from Syria. “At some point it will hit us,” said Maj Sisso. “They’re our enemy and I must be prepared for the day that they’ll attack us.”
“At this moment we understand that we are not the target,
but we can’t just wait around until we become one.” – Maj. Simon Sisso
