Page 20 - TORCH Magazine #11

On 7 February 2013, seven wounded Syrians approached the border
of Israel. Israeli troops guarding
the border realised they needed medical treatment and brought them in, transporting them to a hospital in northern Israel.
Over time, as the crisis in Syria worsened and as rebels took over the Syrian portion of the Golan Heights, many more needy people came to Israel’s border for assistance. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) quickly realised the ongoing need and launched Operation Good Neighbour, a mission of compassion for the people of Syria.
At rst it started with medical teams on the border, with severely wounded people being transferred into Israel to awaiting hospitals. Eventually the IDF established a eld hospital named Mazor Ladach, which translates into English as “bandaging those in need”. This was located in an uninhabited military post in the Golan Heights on the border between Israel and Syria. This eld hospital was used to treat
up to 500 Syrians per day with around 5,000 patients being transferred to hospitals inside of Israel if they required more extensive medical treatment.
Syria’s medical system has been drastically a ected by the ongoing con ict meaning that regular treatment for people with ongoing medical conditions has in some cases stopped altogether. As a result, Israel found itself dealing with routine medical conditions for people with illnesses unrelated to the war.
To help cope with their ongoing needs, in 2016, the IDF began facilitating the construction of two clinics within Syria itself. Israel organised their construction and provided the building materials. They also kitted the hospitals with the medical equipment needed to run e ectively. Both facilities are sta ed by Syrian medical teams that receive funding from international charities. They will give ongoing support to 80,000 Syrians living in the area.
Operation Good Neighbour’s primary focus was on medical aid, however, Israel has
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Operation Good Neighbour