A reserve soldier and emergency responder describes rushing from prayer to missile impact site
Adir Nahmani, a United Hatzalah medic currently serving as a reserve combat soldier in Gaza, had just completed a military operation in Khan Younis on Monday afternoon and left to begin personal leave to his hometown of Be’er Sheva. Early Tuesday morning, red alert sirens wailed across the city, warning that one of the six missile barrages Iran had launched toward Israel as the ceasefire was about to take effect was heading in his direction.
As Nahmani sheltered in his synagogue’s safe room, a tremendous explosion erupted nearby as a ballistic missile slammed into a residential building. Without hesitation, he grabbed his protective vest and helmet, communications device, and equipment bag, becoming one of the first responders to arrive at the impact site.
When Nahmani reached the location, he was confronted with scenes that mirrored his recent experiences in Gaza. “I parked nearby, retrieved my equipment, and ran toward the scene. As I approached, I saw the parking area covered in gray debris, with cars covered in ash, like after a shelling. Initially, I assumed the missile had struck the parking lot, but then I heard screaming. Looking up, I saw such a catastrophic destruction of the building—the very nightmare scenario we hoped would never materialize.”
After receiving authorization from security forces to enter the building with them, Nahmani climbed into the destroyed structure. “We went up to the top floor, and there the apartments were completely destroyed. No walls remained, no safe room, nothing. We saw unpleasant sights there, to put it mildly; we understood there was nothing for us to do there, and we started heading down to the lower floors to search for and evacuate patients. We lifted children and babies in our arms and brought them down to the arriving rescue teams. One infant I extracted and carried down, approximately one year old, was crying for her parents. Having children of similar age, I imagined as though I was holding my own child, and provided comfort through gentle touches and back patting to calm her down. I attempted to shield her from the chaotic environment and, fortunately, soon located her grandmother searching for her.”
How did it feel to leave the front in Gaza and then find yourself on the home front the very next day?
“I’m a very active volunteer with United Hatzalah, and I regularly respond to life-threatening situations, including serious traffic accidents and cardiac emergencies, as well as happy calls such as births. It’s not something new or exciting; I’ve experienced no less difficult disasters in the past; I was at the Meron disaster, and responded on October 7th, so unfortunately, we’ve seen these sights. So when I was on reserve duty, I felt I had to return home, that the home front is no less important. I felt there was a need to finish the mission we did in Khan Younis and get home as quickly as possible, both for the family and for situations like this that unfortunately happened.”
