"Ever since I was a child I loved the work of the Civil Defense. I would follow the fire trucks through the streets on my bicycle", says Jamal Sehwail (55), who is now the Director of Evacuation and Development in Gaza's Civil Defense.
"I am in charge of complex incidents, for example where cooperation between fire fighters, paramedics and rescue workers is necessary", explains Jamal.
During Israel's most recent military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which lasted from 14 to 21 November 2012, Jamal coordinated several rescue and recovery operations. According to PCHR investigations 171 civilians were killed and more than 1,250 were injured, of whom 650 sustained moderate to severe injuries.
Jamal refers to incidents over the past years, especially during 'Operation Cast Lead', Israel's 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip in which 1,419 Palestinians were killed.
There is no psycho-social support for Jamal and his colleagues in order to deal with their trauma. "After a war we speak about our experiences", says Jamal.
The targeting and severe injuring or killing of civilians, a protected person, is a war crime, as codified in Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Articles 8(2)(a)(i) and (iii) Article 8 (2)(b)(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.