Dr. Tarek Abu Arar, a compassionate doctor who volunteers with the United Hatzalah, found himself in a terrifying situation when he was shot and held hostage by Hamas during the initial hours of the conflict last week. He narrowly managed to escape, thanks to the timely intervention of the Israel Defense Forces.
On Saturday morning, October 7, Abu Arar was asked to take an emergency shift at the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.As he left his home in Arara in the Negev, Abu Arar encountered a man lying by the roadside near an intersection close to Sderot. He initially believed the man to be injured.
Shot in the chest
"During those hours, there were no reports of any terrorist infiltrations," he said. "Just 20 minutes earlier, there had been a vague warning, so I decided to don the protective vest provided by United Hatzalah and proceed. When I saw the injured man by the roadside, I immediately stopped to offer assistance."
As the doctor approached the injured man, it struck him that the man might be a soldier. When he was approximately 10 meters away, he was shot in the chest.Suddenly, Abu Arar found himself in a life-threatening situation. "I began shouting and praying, fully convinced that I was about to meet my end," he recalled. "I couldn't understand the situation until I heard someone yelling in Arabic, 'Stop, stop, he's an Arab.' That's when I realized they were Hamas terrorists."
Glancing behind him, Abu Arar saw around ten more men dressed in military attire emerging from behind the bushes. They began interrogating him in Arabic, testing his knowledge of Islam. These terrorists were armed with Kalashnikovs and sophisticated military equipment, wearing green uniforms remarkably similar to those of the Israel Defense Forces.
The situation escalated as the terrorists positioned him in the middle of the intersection, declaring, "We have a hostage now; the IDF can no longer target us from the air." Abu Arar was held captive, while the terrorists started to confront the Israeli army which was arriving. the doctor was used as a human shield by the terrorists.
"One of the terrorists shot me in the leg and told me that the next bullet would be aimed at my head," he said. "I began to bleed profusely. Throughout this nightmarish ordeal, I prayed for a miracle, fully convinced that my time had come."
IDF to the rescue
About 45 minutes later, a commando unit from the Navy arrived on the scene."They swiftly neutralized the terrorists and rescued me from the brink of death," Abu Arar said. "They applied a tourniquet to my injured leg, and the ambulance transported me to the Soroka Medical Center. After receiving treatment, I was discharged just a few hours later."
"I have devoted my entire life to saving and helping others, both as a doctor and as a volunteer with the United Hatzalah," he added. "To witness this dreadful tragedy unfold right before my eyes, unable to intervene, was simply horrifying. I lack the words to convey the extent of this horror; it was just indescribable."