Rifat Radwan: The Witness Martyr

“I was proud of my son even before the video went viral” said the father of the Martyr Rifat Radwan, a volunteer at the Emergency Medical Services of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), who was executed by the Israeli occupation forces with his fellow medics in Tel- Al-Sultan,Rafah.

From Rafah, Radwan exposed the Israeli army’s crime when he documented, using his mobile phone camera, the soldiers firing at ambulances with their emergency lights on, and ultimately executing him and his colleagues, whose bodies were found nine days later buried in the sand.

Rifat’s footage played a crucial role in refuting and dismantling the Israeli army’s false narrative, which had claimed the that the ambulances where moving suspiciously, without flashing lights or clear identification. But Rifat’s testimony, carried by the winds of truth, overturned the lies the occupation forces tried to bury along with him in the sands.

Rifat Anwar Suleiman Radwan

A 23-year-old young man, unmarried, who joined the PRCS in 2022. A diligent and hardworking university graduate, who had a deep passion for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and voluntary work, always thinking of others.

His father, speaking with a mix of pride and sorrow, shared: "Rifat would cry through the night over the crimes he witnessed and the wounded victims he treated. Whenever he assisted an injured woman or girl, he would say before lifting her: “Forgive me, you are like my sister”.

The Final Smile

On the last night before his martyrdom, specifically at 11:00 pm. Rifat called his father to tell him he was coming home to change his blood-soaked shirt. After he left again, his father told Rifat’s mother that their son’s smile that night was unlike any other, radiant and unforgettable.

Revealing the Truth
Despite earning no more than 700 shekels a month, Rifat took it upon himself to support his family and care for his ailing father, who suffers from liver disease. He dreamed of continuing his education and securing a more stable and comfortable life for his loved ones.

His father said, "Rifat was wearing his medic uniform when he was targeted and martyred, in a clearly marked ambulance with its lights flashing, and yet, the occupation executed him. I am proud of my son; he was a volunteer, a humanitarian, and God chose him to reveal the truth".