United Hatzalah ambucycle EMT stands near scene of terror attack in Har Adar
United Hatzalah ambucycle EMT stands near scene of terror attack in Har AdarHershy Pearlmutter - United Hatzalah

The Muslim volunteer EMT who was the first responder at yesterday’s terror attack in Har Adar recognized one of the slain as being someone whom he had treated for a stab wound at a different terror attack a year prior.

Moshir Abu Katish is a father of three and lives in Abu Gosh. He is a truck driver and crane operator by trade and a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT by choice. Yesterday morning, like any other regular day, Katish got his children ready for school and was about to head off to work when he received an urgent call that a terror attack had taken place in Har Adar, a town very close to his own. Katish raced over to the scene on his United Hatzalah ambucycle and arrived in just a few minutes. He was the first medical responder on scene. He found four injured people lying on the ground and one injured person sitting up.

Katish immediately began treating the wounded people. One of those injured was border police officer, Sgt. Solomon Gavria, 20, from Beer Yaakov in central Israel. Katish felt that Gavria looked familiar but couldn’t place from where he knew the officer from. It was only after leaving the scene and hearing the news on the radio that Gavria had been stabbed a year prior did Katish put the pieces together. Katish was the EMT who had treated Gavria for stab wounds the year before when he was injured in a stabbing attack near the same location as the shooting that claimed Gavria’s life.

After yesterday’s attack, Katish, spoke about how the incident affected him on a personal level. “This is a tragic incident that harms coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel. I can hardly believe that the officer whom I treated and ultimately saved from death last year, was killed and is no longer with us today. It hurts me to know that this time I was unable to save him. I wish to pass my condolences and heartfelt wishes to his family.”

Katish was also a close friend of one of the security guards who was killed in yesterday’s attack who also happened to be a resident of Abu Gosh, Yusuf Othman. Katish had known Othman for years. “Othman was a good man from a good family, he was a quiet man who was dedicated to his job. After serving in the border police for three years he became a security guard. By the time I left the scene on Tuesday morning, I knew that both of these men were no longer among the living, that is something that hurts and will continue to hurt for a long time.”