Camila Bernal and Norma Galeana
CNN, Oct. 23, 2023
“I’ve made my peace with whatever happens, I’ve already made it because as an American, this is my sense of justice. As a Jewish person, my heart is bleeding, and as an Israeli, I’m ready to give my all.”
The decision to embark on an uncertain and potentially dangerous journey to Israel wasn’t easy for Kineret Levin, a 27-year-old Israeli-American. Levin left behind her family, a job opportunity and her home in Fredericksburg, Texas, to fly to Israel to volunteer as a medic. After Hamas’ surprise attack on Israeli communities on October 7, when Israel Defense Forces say the militant group took about 200 hostages and brutally killed more than 1,400 people, Levin felt going to Israel was a calling.
“It reminded me how I felt on 9/11 when I was a child and that hopelessness and not understanding what was going on,” she said. “And I was like, ‘never again’ and this is really never again.”
Levin was born in Los Angeles and traveled to Israel at age 14. She lived in Israel on and off, until retuning to the United States about a year ago. While in Israel, Levin was a medic in the Israel Defense Forces. She is one of many who decided to fly into a war zone in the middle of a conflict that only shows signs of worsening.
Israeli forces are preparing for a potential ground operation in Gaza in its war against Hamas, amassing huge numbers of troops at the border. Hundreds of Israeli air strikes since October 7 have flattened neighborhoods in Gaza. Hospitals in Gaza have been overwhelmed with casualties and some facilities have scaled back treatments amid electricity and fuel shortages. More than 4,500 Palestinian people have been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.
The US government has pressed Israel to delay its ground operations in Gaza to allow for the release of more hostages and aid into Gaza, according to two sources briefed on the discussions.
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