The Martyr EMT Ezzedine Shaath: Honoring the Emblem, Sacrificing His Life for It

Ezzedine Shaath dedicated 25 years to his humanitarian mission as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in the Gaza Strip, before Israeli bullets brought his journey to a tragic end. He, along with seven of his colleagues, was executed in the ambulance massacre in Tel Al-Sultan, Rafah.

A committed EMT, that is how his colleagues at the PRCS, his friends in the neighborhood, and his family described him. He wore the Red Crescent emblem and uniform only during working hours and never used the ambulance for any personal purpose. Ezzedine deeply respected the emblem, but in the end, it did not protect him, for he faced an enemy that respects no laws.

Ezzedine Ahmad Shaath

Ezzedine was born on May 2, 1973, in Rafah city, where he grew up in an environment filled with love and cooperation. He married in 2004 and had six children, four sons and two daughters, the eldest of whom is Mohammad.

Ezzedine began his professional journey with the PRCS in 2000, dedicating his efforts to helping others. He had great a great passion for his work and showed tremendous commitment in every detail of it.

Hard Times

During the ongoing genocide, Ezzedine spent most of his time on duty. He would return home sad and tense from the heartbreaking scenes he witnessed. trying not to let it affect his six children. Yet he often told them: "People outside are living through very hard times," according to his wife, Um Ahmad.

Ezzedine (Abu Ahmad) never shared the details of his work or the risks he faced during rescue missions and the retrieval of martyrs, in order to spare his family any worry. However, as the war escalated, his family was forced to leave their home in Rafah to the area of Al-Qarara, where they endured new hardships under difficult conditions.

Um Ahmad remembers her martyred husband, who gave his life for his humanitarian work. He was deeply committed; he would not allow the family to ride in the ambulance or attend any events while wearing his EMT uniform. He gave his life for humanity and for the emblem he honored for so long.