An Israeli charity transporting Palestinian children to Israeli hospitals for life-saving treatment has said it will continue its work even now some of its staff have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas.
Yael Noy, the chief executive of the Road to Recovery, said at least three volunteers were murdered in the kibbutz communities of Israel’s south when the terrorists broke through the border on October 7. At least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed and 222 taken hostage in the attack.
Despite the personal loss suffered, her team has vowed to continue its daily trips taking children from the West Bank to Israel’s hospitals and hope to resume operations in Gaza when possible.
“We didn’t stop for one minute. When it happened I knew we had to continue,” Noy, whose parents spent two days in hiding from Hamas in the Alumim kibbutz, said.
On Tuesday, the charity took 33 patients from across the West Bank, including Nablus and Jenin.
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At least 5,250 Palestinian patients have been transported from the Palestinian territories this year alone, she said. Most are receiving cancer treatment or kidney transplants or dialysis. They are taken to either Rambam hospital in Haifa or Sheba in central Israel.
“We were faced with the worst thing that could happen to us that day, so to try and stay good and humanitarian in this situation, you need a lot of courage and I don’t know how we will get over this,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.
Of the Road to Recovery’s 1,300 volunteers, only three have quit since October 7, which Noy said showed a resilience and a deep commitment to peace efforts.
“The damage is so big. The dream of peace, something is broken inside that dream. The trust was broken,” she said.
“I really believed people are good and we had something to build on through dialogue, but it’s very hard to believe in it when you’re in this bad situation.”
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Noy said she continues to receives messages from her colleagues in Gaza who are concerned for the volunteers who helped them do life-saving work. The charity was taking children from Gaza until October 6, the day before the massacre.
“I think Gaza and Israelis are suffering the same. Hamas is hurting us both,” Noy said. “They have been saying they hope the hostages released will be our volunteers. We’re in touch all the time.”
Lior Peri’s father, Chaim, 79, was among the 1,300 volunteers working for the charity and is now being held hostage in Gaza.
Chaim, who lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz for 60 years, had been a passionate peace activist for decades. When Hamas terrorists stormed his kibbutz, Chaim handed himself over to save his wife, who had been hiding for two days in the bomb shelter.
He demonstrated every Friday for Israel to leave Gaza, calling for the Jewish settlers to come back to Israel before the withdrawal from the strip in 2005.
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“When Israel withdrew, he was so proud of that and felt he was part of the withdrawal,” Lior said. It was in recent years he began driving for the charity. “He found this way he could contribute directly to Gaza because he was aware of the neglect in the Gaza Strip and it was the only thing he could do to help.”
Yael says she and her fellow volunteers will not give up on a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians.
“I’m fighting to stay human in this terrible time.”
