Arab Paramedic Saves Life of 3-Year-Old Jewish Child

Adele Briton, aged 3, who was critically injured in a Palestinian rock throwing attack, was saved by Arab paramedic Muawiya Qabha. Qabha had rushed to the scene of the attack in order to save lives, even though he was not on duty at the time. This week, he was a guest of honor at the Briton family’s Mimouna celebration. Qabha also visited Adele in the hospital.

Adele was seriously injured but I decided to fight for her. When I saw the car I didn’t think anyone survived the accident. When I pulled the girl out of the car all I cared about was saving her. I felt bad, as an Arab, when I found out that Arabs were the ones who hurled the stones that caused all this.

Qabha’s dedication as a paramedic who looked beyond the conflict in order to save a Jewish child has been praised by many. Aharon Cohen who blessed him at the Briton family’s Mimouna celebration said, “We dedicate this event to the recovery of Adele, and to Muawiya, who saved her, and who we hope will save many more lives.” Qabha was also praised by the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, as well as the head of the Shomron Regional Council. Adele’s mother, Adva Briton, was also grateful, proclaiming, “Without your skills she may not have survived.”

Sadly, young Adele is still in critical condition, although she is beginning to show signs of improvement. Adele has been in the hospital since mid-March, when her mother and siblings crashed into a truck after Palestinians threw large concrete blocks on the Britons’ car. The impact of the crash was so severe that the Britons’ car was trapped under the truck, requiring the emergency services to go to great lengths to rescue the victims.

According to Adva, immediately after the crash, she glanced to the backseat and “saw Adele with her head dropped to the side. I put out my hand to make sure the head was attached and to open the airway. She had a very slow pulse. At the same time, I was talking to my girls to make sure they were still conscious. When the paramedics arrived, I would not let them come near me and insisted that they take the girls first. I’m usually a ‘control freak,’ but here you can be very helpless, so I’m trying to have faith. I tell the doctors that I trust them 100%, but this is something that is beyond our control.”

Following the incident, Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett wrote on facebook “Rocks kill. Rock-throwers are trying to murder and they need to be treated accordingly.” Similarly, Avigdor Lieberman proclaimed, “Rock-throwing [should] be treated like using firearms,” adding that “only this kind of change will stop civilians and soldiers from being targeted by Arab rioters and prevent disasters.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also wished Adele and her family well, declaring, “I, Sarah and the entire Jewish people are praying for the well-being of our sweet little girl.”

By Rachel Avraham