Skip to main content

Wounded Syrians treated in Israel

Safed's Ziv hospital welcomes Syrians wounded in the war.
A wounded Syrian girl sits on a hospital bed at Ziv Medical Center in the northern Israeli town of Safed September 9, 2013. What started this year as a trickle is now a steady flow of Syrians, scores of civilians and fighters wounded in the civil war and being discreetly brought across the Golan frontline into Israel - a country with which Syria is formally still at war.  Picture taken September 9, 2013. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS HEALTH) - RTX13JW4

It’s heartwarming to see what is happening in Safed’s Ziv hospital these days. Hundreds of Israelis who heard through the media about the medical treatment it is providing to Syrian civilians and fighters alike, wounded in that country’s civil war, have been appearing in the wards to hand out clothing, food, sweets and flowers. Some are even coming just to cheer up the wounded, who find themselves all alone in the hospital, in a foreign country.

About 300 ailing and wounded Syrians have shown up in hospitals across northern Israel in the past year for lifesaving care. Just last week (Nov. 3) the first Syrian baby was born in Israel. The child’s mother made her way to the border between the two countries while she was in labor. An Israeli Defense Forces patrol picked her up and brought her to the maternity ward in Ziv, where she gave birth to her firstborn son.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.