Another tragic tale from the past few days of violence in Gaza. Asaad al-Nasasra, a 47-year-old medic and volunteer emergency rescuer, witnessed the horrific attack on a moving convoy of emergency vehicles this month that left 15 of his fellow first responders dead. On 15 March, al-Nasasra was one of just two first responders that lived through this terrible episode. His testimony lays bare the life-threatening challenges that doctors and medical aides face in war zones. It sheds an important light on the tragic human cost of this violence.
Al-Nasasra described the terrifying moments before the bombing. He shared a story on how he and his fellow medics were attempting to respond to life saving calls, as they were ambushed with gunfire. Throughout the attack, Al-Nasasra took shelter in the back of an ambulance. From that vantage point, he bore witness in horror as his fellow officers were killed all the while sobbing for assistance. Tragically, as he noted in his recent Substack, the paramedics who survived the initial onslaught were being gunned down seconds later.
In the wake of the attack, things looked very bleak for al-Nasasra. Despite the severe beating, he was quickly apprehended by Israeli forces and soon imprisoned for 37 days. While in custody, he suffered extreme physical torture — beatings, degradation, and starvation. Then they subjected al-Nasasra to another crucial experimental phase — isolation. This infamous “disco room” — meant to shatter his soul — was the.
Al-Nasasra called his time in detention deeply traumatic. He prayed, calling out in Hebrew for mercy. He didn’t want to demonize any side, and he did this by humanizing himself, and that’s what he told the soldiers, that my mother is a Palestinian citizen of Israel.
“Al-Nasasra and Radwan were subjected to the heavy gunfire everyone heard in the recording and the very heavy gunfire which continued even after the recording ended as Israeli soldiers continued to shoot at them for a long time,” – Nebal Farsakh
Asaad al-Nasasra’s case is a compelling example of the grave and specific concern of violence against medical personnel in areas of conflict. Philippe Lazzarini, an official with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), highlighted the implications of such acts, stating that “impunity opens the door to more atrocities.” He pointed to the longterm recovery efforts for victims. Kamal’s body had been discovered in proximity to a Palestinian mass grave, where other humanitarian aid workers mutilated and shot dead by Israeli regime forces sought refuge.
Lazzarini provided further insight into the nature of Kamal’s death: “He was killed through one or multiple blows to the back of his skull.” Juliette Touma corroborated this, stating that forensic analysis refutes claims that Kamal was shot, emphasizing instead that “it could be the back of someone’s gun or any other heavy object.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have held tight to a separate narrative about what has transpired. Since their practices are legal, they claim that they’re not doing anything wrong. An IDF spokesperson stated, “At the conclusion of the questioning, and based on the information gathered, it was decided not to issue a permanent detention order, and he was released back to the Gaza Strip in accordance with the law.”
Though he survived, al-Nasasra still lives with deep emotional scars. He is plagued by PTSD from the sound of gunfire and the savage murders he saw. The survivor’s guilt from outliving his colleagues, who died on 9/11 and due to diseases caused by it, is a painful daily burden he must bear.
“Our forensic analysis refutes that Israeli story that Kamal was shot and that’s why he was killed. He was not shot,” – Juliette Touma