Orly, a paramedic who attended to casualties under threat of snipers and missile attacks up north:

“My name is Orly Ben Simon, I’m an MDA paramedic and live in Hatzor Haglilit. I work in Kiryat Shmona in the Yarden region. We’ve been in war mode for over 130 days and nights and counting.

“My family wasn’t evacuated from our home, but we are all drafted, I have three children, two are on IDF reserve service, one is a border policewoman and my husband is a policeman. We were all drafted at the beginning of the war, were all sent on assignments in an instant, we didn’t stop to ask ‘wait, what does this mean’, the country needs us. The fear for my family accompanies me all the time together with the tangible fear for my life, but I am here for whomever needs me.

“In the event in Kfar Yovel, we were called to attend to casualties when at first we didn’t know if they are civilians or soldiers, how many victims there are on scene and what the severity of their injuries are. The regional dispatch instructed us to meet an army vehicle which will hand the casualties over to us. While driving to meet them, the artillery shooting didn’t stop in the background.

“The army vehicle brought us one victim from the house, and until that moment we didn’t know it was a civilian. Mira Z”L was in very critical condition and cried out for help. I have been a paramedic for many years and have never seen a case like this.

“The regional dispatch urged us to leave the area as fast as possible because of the danger of being shot at. During the evacuation we applied life-saving treatments to Mira, we fought for her life and rushed towards an army helicopter. Unfortunately, Mira was pronounced dead in the hospital.

“Mira’s son was also in the bombed house, when the army extracted him he wasn’t alive anymore. He was transferred to the MDA station in Kiryat Shmona and his family was called to the station to confirm his identity. The whole MDA team collected itself in order to be strong for the family, despite the tremendous difficulty we experienced.

“It was difficult emotionally after the call; the smell of the gunpowder and the difficult visions accompanied me for many days afterwards. But I don’t have the option to fade. My community and my family here up north, alongside my job at MDA, require me to be completely focused, able to function and here to help.

“We’re living in this situation already 4 months, under threat of sirens and shooting sounds all times of the day. Hoping the good and quiet days will return quickly. I think that thanks to my job and thanks to the teams here up north I manage to stay resilient, to keep strong and to keep my motivation high.”