After treating more than 1,000 injured people and performing hundreds of surgeries, the Israeli search-and-rescue delegation has bid farewell to Haiti.
In a military ceremony held Jan. 26 at the field hospital in Port-au-Prince, the Israeli flag was lowered and handed over as a sign of thanks to the commander of the Colombian team that collaborated with the crew from Israel. The Israel Defense Forces delegation was scheduled to return to Israel on Jan. 28, after providing 13 days of rescue and assistance.
“We came here a short time after the earthquake that shocked this island. We came to help, to save lives, to lend a hand. However, above all else, we came to give hope,” said Dr. Col. Itzik Kreis, who commanded the hospital.
Kreis addressed the members of his crew in his speech: “There are no other nations with the strength, the willingness, the dedication, to help in this way. A small county on the other side of the globe that knew to send a large and professional hospital at the right time.”
Kreis continued: “I am glad we were given the privilege of helping this nation and wish them success in reaching a brighter future together with the nations of the world.”
The closing of the Israel facility, however, was immediately attacked in an opinion column on Ynetnews.com written by Yinon Shenkar, who holds a Ph.D. in public health and advises the United Nations.
Shenkar wrote, “Why couldn’t we keep the hospital in Haiti’s capital for a year at least and shift it to a well-protected structure ahead of hurricane season, reinforcing it as a model of long-term Israeli and Jewish humanitarian activity?”
He also wrote, “The establishment of the hospital as a focal point of ongoing humanitarian assistance in Haiti would have enabled us, for the first time, to realize the idea raised by key Jewish figures in Israel and abroad: the establishment of a Jewish and Israeli ‘peace corps.’ Jewish doctors, nurses and volunteer teams from across the world could have served as rotating volunteers at the hospital, under Israeli management.”
The IDF said its decision to depart came following the arrival of additional aid forces to Haiti, including members of the U.S. military and civilian aid-givers, who are now providing regular medical services. Furthermore, many of the local hospitals are at a sufficient level of functionality, the IDF said.
Israel’s medical team released its last patients before the ceremony. Up until it closed, the hospital treated 1,111 residents of Haiti, performed 13 regular births and three Cesarean sections, and did 314 other surgeries, IDF officials said.
“We saw you in the hardest moments fighting for the right to save life,” Kreis said at the ceremony. “You brought life to the world. You were awarded with the smile of a baby. You were awarded with the smile of a child who simply received a toy. You were awarded with a prayer dance of an indebted mother.
“We did here field medicine at its best. We did not compromise. We made nice diagnoses, we improvised, we did not compromise. We dealt with complex dilemmas of disaster medicine.”
The commander of the Colombian team, Col. Segura, gave an emotional thanks to the Israeli team during the ceremony. “Through difficult days, we worked together with the Israeli hospital,” he said. “As the commander of the Colombian medical force, I would like to thank you in the name of my country, military, and team. You treated us like brothers.”
The Colombian colonel concluded his speech by saying in Hebrew: “This story we will tell to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A big thanks to the people of Israel.”
At the end of the military ceremony, after the anthem was sung, the Colombian team handed over their flag to Kreis and his team in a rare symbolic gesture. The Israeli delegation also gave the Israeli flag to the Colombian commander.