On Oct. 7, Shabbat Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists violently attacked communities in southern Israel, killing over 1,200, wounding and terrorizing thousands, and taking over 250 children, women, men and elderly hostage. On that fateful morning, the country awoke to blaring sirens and alerts while thousands of people located in the border communities struggled to escape to safety as the terrorists carried out their murderous campaign. Following the terrorist attacks and invasion of Israel, “Operation Swords of Iron” was launched. Nurses were among the first responders throughout Israel who jumped into action.
Nurses treated, protected and saved the lives of their neighbors, friends, family, soldiers, foreign students and foreign workers in the southern region of Israel while under ceaseless attacks that day.
Michaela, a nurse-midwife at a major southern hospital, treated three wounded neighbors in her home while protecting her children in their safe room in Kibbutz Alumim. During the terrorist attack on Zikim Base, Michal, a home care nurse, was treating wounded soldiers when she was shot by terrorists. She dragged herself to safety and instructed her children on how to apply a tourniquet to a wounded soldier’s leg, saving his life. Reut, the director of nursing at a clinic in Bnei Netzarim, treated the wounded as they arrived at a nearby field hospital while attacks continued. Under fire, she ran to a clinic wearing protective gear to replenish medical supplies that were urgently needed, including tourniquets, infusion fluids and gauze. Called up with her unit, Lieutenant Nitzan, a military nurse, treated and evacuated wounded civilians and soldiers while under fire.
As Hamas terrorists besieged Kibbutz Be’eri, Nirit, a nursing clinical instructor and nurse on the kibbutz, provided first aid and treated the wounded alongside a physician, all while under fire, transferring the wounded to a safer location. When the terrorists entered the clinic, shooting and throwing grenades, Nirit hid and sent farewell messages to her family. Avichai, a nursing student, was in his home with his wife and three children ages 4-10 when he heard his 3-year-old neighbor Abigail knock on their door after her parents were murdered by terrorists. Avichai quickly took Abigail into his home, sheltering her with his wife and children in the safe room while he sought to protect his kibbutz. When he returned, he discovered that his wife, children and neighbor had been taken hostage to Gaza. He became a powerful advocate for the hostages.
The fortitude of Israeli nurses was even apparent under unimaginable circumstances. Nili, a pediatric nurse at an emergency department in southern Israel, was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and abducted to Gaza, and her father was murdered. Despite the lack of proper medical equipment and supplies, Nili cared for and treated other hostages with professional creativity, courage and compassion.
As the conflict and state of emergency continue, dedicated and heroic nurses persevere in organizing and providing care, bandaging wounds, healing trauma and comforting the bereaved. While the trauma of the Oct. 7 attacks and its aftermath impact the physical and mental wellness of nurses in Israel, their education, training and personal resilience helps support efficient and professional management of emergent situations.
On a national level, the Israel Ministry of Health, including the Nursing Division, senior management of health management organizations (HMOs), and military healthcare services mobilized and organized personnel, offered training, ensured professional competence, enhanced hospital capacity, and contributed to strategic, policy and procedure development including mass emergency care and treatment of returned abductees. Healthcare leadership and teams further developed preparedness plans, implemented emergency preparedness procedures and established clinics and healthcare services throughout Israel for displaced persons following the onset of war.
On an organizational level, nurses reported to work at hospitals and community clinics, despite the personal threat, fear of leaving home and lack of childcare as thousands of partners were drafted into military service. Israeli healthcare teams, composed of professionals from diverse backgrounds, worked together side by side to provide care around the clock. Nursing and medical staff faced unpredictable workloads and overcrowded units following the admission of an unprecedented number of wounded civilians and soldiers.
Healthcare managers supported their staff whose partners were drafted into the military by setting up childcare on site as schools and kindergartens were closed due to the war. Additionally, professional services were arranged to facilitate the discussion and processing of moral distress and ethical dilemmas that healthcare team members experienced to prevent and minimize trauma. With the postponement of the academic year due to the war, nursing school faculty and students volunteered to care for wounded soldiers in the hospitals and rehabilitation centers and served in makeshift clinics for displaced communities.
On an individual level, nurses in Israel were directly and indirectly exposed to the horrors of terrorism, resulting in both primary and secondary trauma. While their own lives were in peril, nurses risked their lives to drive to healthcare centers despite the continued threat from terrorists on the roads and they worked under precarious conditions while communities were under attack.
Since Oct. 7, Iris, a palliative care nurse, has been speaking to and educating Israeli and global communities in methods of healing and resilience. At a memorial service for her son who was taken hostage and mistakenly shot while attempting to escape, Iris said, “Reality occurred, but that doesn’t mean we must be its victims. Therefore, I decided to view my son daily in light and not in darkness.” (Jerusalem Post Staff, 2024)
Dr. Ilana Azulay Chertok, Ph.D., MSN, RN, IBCLC, is a professor and the associate director of nursing research and scholarship, Ohio University, College of Health Sciences and Professions, School of Nursing, Athens, Ohio (and Yeruham, Israel). She can be reached at [email protected].
Dr. Ilya Kagan, RN, BSN, MA, MBA, Ph.D., is associate professor and head of the nursing department, School of Health Sciences, Ashkelon Academic College, Israel. He can be reached at [email protected].
References
Jerusalem Post Staff. (Feb. 14, 2024). “In light and not in darkness.” Jerusalem Post. Accessed on July 20 2024, www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-786928.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel. (2024). Swords of Iron: War in the South – Hamas’ Attack on Israel. Swords of IronUpdates. Accessed on July 24, 2024, www.gov.il/en/departments/news/swords-of-iron-war-in-the-south-7-oct-2023
Ministry of Health Israel, Nursing Division. (2024). Heroism of our nurses. Accessed on July 20, 2024, www1.health.gov.il/en/nursing/work/in-memoriam/nurse-heroes
