Saleh Ma’amar: Followed His Three Brothers

In 2014, Saleh Ma’amar, a medic with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in the Gaza Strip, bid farewell to his three brothers, who were martyred in an Israeli airstrike during the 50-day Israeli aggression.

Saleh the devoted brother was fulfilling his humanitarian duty, while caring for his family, which lost many of its members during several repeated Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip. He had already mourned the loss of his brothers, Hamza, Anas, and Mohammad, before ultimately joining them in martyrdom, killed by the Israeli occupation during the Tel Al-Sultan massacre in Rafah, which deliberately targeted EMTs.

Saleh Mahmoud Hussein Ma’amar

Born on December 27^th, 1983, in Rafah. Saleh was raised in a large, close-knit family. He was married to two women and had five children: two sons and two daughters from his first wife, and one son from his second wife, who had previously been married to his martyred brother, Mohammed.

Saleh began his humanitarian journey in late 2008 as a volunteer with the PRCS, driven by a deep passion for helping others, and had no other job at the time. Although he held a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Al-Azhar University, his ambitions went beyond academics. He chose to focus on providing medical aid and support to those in need, completing specialized training in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and earning a diploma from the PRCS EMS institute in Khan Younis.

His Wife’s Injury

In a temporary tent in Khan Younis, Saleh faced the harsh difficulties of life. His family was hit by an airstrike. His mother was wounded, and his wife suffering a severe back injury that left her paralyzed. This was not the only tragedy he endured, as he got shot twice in the chest while on a mission to evacuate the wounded. Despite this, he returned to his duties after recovering.

His brother Hussein said: “Saleh was always among the first to help, he was a truly compassionate man who aided many without expecting anything in return.”

He added that Saleh had formed a medical team during the Great March of Return demonstrations to treat the injured. His death, Hussein said, has only deepened the family’s pain, following the loss of his three brothers 11 years earlier and his wife’s paralysis after the bombing of their tent in Khan Younis.