Axelrod said that the women
"think solely about saving lives
and it doesn't matter whether
they are soldiers or Palestinians.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3561120,00.html
3 female paramedics save lives in Gaza
Three young women tell Ynet about
their remarkable army service in
Gaza Strip
Hanan Greenberg
Published: 06.27.08, 16:09 / Israel News
Only a select few know,
but amongst the hundreds of
Israeli combat soldiers
participating in military
operations in the Gaza Strip
are three female solders.
After long years where girls
were prohibited from entering
battle zones,
it was decided to include female
paramedics alongside the males
serving on the frontlines.
This, however,
was under the condition that
they would never step foot in
enemy territories.
The solution is that Zohar,
Mor and Bat El never step out
of the armored vehicles transporting
them into Gaza, not even for a minute.
Bat El Maman from Kiryat Motzkin,
who has been volunteering at the
Magen David Adom ambulance service
since she was 15, always knew she
wants to save lives while in the army.
Zohar Brosh Cohen from Givat Avni
and Mor Axelrod from Netanya happened
to see a newspaper article about a
female paramedic serving in a
helicopter before they enlisted,
and decided this was the direction
they wanted to take as well.
"The training is long and not easy," they said,
"it starts with a four month,
pre-army course and includes
mainly theory.
It continues with basic training,
assignment to different hospitals,
practical studies,
and ends with supplementary military studies.
The entire training period lasts for a full year."
'We are there to help'
At the end of the course,
these three girls didn't
want to just serve anywhere;
they wanted the
"hottest spot,"
the Gaza Strip.
Up until two years ago,
girls were not allowed to
cross the line into Gaza.
However,
Chief Medical Officer Brigadier-General
Dr. Nachman Esh pushed for a change and
now female paramedics enter battles with
their male counterparts in armored vehicles.
The goal is to save lives,
but only under the condition
that they never exit the military vehicles.
"We came here because we wanted
to be in the most significant,
interesting place," said Axelrod,
"in essence this is really an
experience that few girls have.
Maybe the tank looks big on the outside,
but we sit in very small confines with all
the medical supplies filling up space as well."
However, the crowdedness is not the only hurdle.
Sometimes they have to spend 24
hours and more with a group of
guys who don't always understand
why they are there.
Eventually,
"they understand that we are
there to help their fellow soldiers,"
said Brosh-Cohen
In the past few months,
the girls have had to deal with
a number of real-time incidents
where they saved both Israeli
and Palestinian lives.
Axelrod said that the women
"think solely about saving lives
and it doesn't matter whether
they are soldiers or Palestinians.
Clearly,
many thoughts run through
my head afterwards,
but our job is clear."
The three soldiers said that after
coming back from a mission it takes
them a lot of time to clean off the
sand and dirt.
"No place is left sand-less,
we can't see anything, we sweat
and we need a few good showers
to return to our original state," one of them said.
However, they are not complaining.
"We have great satisfaction,
it is a wonderful feeling to
know that you are in Gaza,
saving lives," one of them said.
