IDF Medic Saves Palestinian Baby

This is one of those amazing stories of how good-hearted actions in service to saving innocent lives, even those of the “enemy,” can softened all hearts involved.

Adam is a trained Israeli military medic stationed at one of the checkpoints near Jerusalem where he and his unit check Palestinian citizens to ensure that terrorists do not infiltrate from areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Many of the interactions with Palestinians can tense, to say the least, but a few days ago the Hebrew news outlet Ynet reported that Adam had an interaction of a totally different kind.

“That day I went on duty as a medic,” Adam said. “While I was checking the equipment, two Palestinian women arrived at the checkpoint holding a baby… attached to an oxygen breathing machine. We brought them in, and they shouted to me, ‘Save the baby, he’s not breathing.’ I came close to the baby and saw that he really was barely breathing and was almost unresponsive. I understood immediately that it was an emergency.”

“I saw that the breathing device was not connected. So I connected it, and then I took the baby out… and performed CPR for five minutes.”

When Adam saw the ambulance was not arriving, he thought of an alternate solution to get the baby to a hospital quickly.

“I asked a police officer to stop a taxi to take the baby and the women to al-Makassed Hospital in the area. When the taxi arrived, I explained to the driver what to do… The taxi drove away, and I continued with routine checkpoint activities. After several hours, suddenly I saw the same family come back to the checkpoint. They came to say thank you and tell me the baby was fine.”

“It’s a supreme feeling to save a baby. I’m glad I got to help him.”