The Israel Defense Forces Medical Aid Mission called "Olive Branches", which was sent to Turkey began on Friday to provide medical assistance at a local hospital in the city of Kahramanmaras. Wounded Syrians who crossed the border from Syria to Turkey also came to the clinic and chose to enter the clinic despite, or perhaps because of the Israeli flag flying over it.
In addition to establishing a field hospital and an Israeli clinic, the delegation also assisted in the reopening of a local hospital after it was abandoned during the earthquake, and will now operate it to provide medical care to the injured in the area.
[H/t: thanks @qumranqu for providing me w/ this recording๐]
โ Adam Albilya - ืืื ืืืืืืื (@AdamAlbilya) February 9, 2023
The treatment will also be carried out with the help of medical equipment and devices that arrived from Israel. Members of the delegation used emergency rooms, trauma rooms, intensive care rooms, and operating rooms. An official accompanying the delegation said that all urgent operations can be performed there at the level of a well-functioning hospital.
"The medical teams working at the hospital number about 140 doctors and nurses. Among them are also a pharmacist, an X-ray technician, a laboratory technician, paramedics, and medical logistics personnel," an IDF source told reporters. "The medical aid delegation is commanded by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Lt. Col. Dr. Tomer Kohler. Some of the members of the delegation are doctors and nurses who were recruited into the reserves service. Also, the delegation includes representatives from Magen David Adom, Israel's Emergency Services Service known by the acronym MaDA, the Ministry of Health, and other organizations."
IDF field hospital in Turkey treats 180 wounded in quake, including Syrian refugees #Turkey #Syria #earthquake #Israel https://t.co/H4JUpKcdWU via @timesofisrael pic.twitter.com/HH6rou0Hsm
โ Eli Dror (@edrormba) February 11, 2023
As mentioned, the IDF delegation, named after the olive branches which are a symbol of peace, began this weekend to treat Syrian wounded as well. On the first day, over 10 Syrian casualties were treated. Lt. Col. Aziz Ebrahim, an Arab-Israeli intensive care unit and paramedic in the medical delegation, treated a Syrian 4-year-old from the city of Homs, who was in Turkey with his family at the time of the earthquake.
The @IDF "#OliveBranches" aid team has rescued 19 civilians from rubble after devastating #earthquakes in #Turkey.#IDF SAR teams rescued 2 people, and medical delegation treated over 200 civilians including over 14 #Syria victims. #Israel #Turkey_earthquake @AP @jfederations pic.twitter.com/nHlOFzraq8
โ Jewish News Agency (โข) (@JewishNewsUSA) February 11, 2023
The boy arrived at the hospital moderately injured with injuries in the pelvic area, after being rescued from the rubble four days after the earthquake. The boy lost his parents and is the only survivor of his family. To try and comfort the boy while treating him, the Aziz gave him a Halvah snack from the meal rations of the members of the delegation. During the weekend, the rescue forces rescued two people, while the medical delegation provided medical treatment to about 180 people.
