A Seattle man, who’s Jewish himself, flew to Israel to provide thousands of medical supplies to help people stuck in the middle of the war.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR:
At least 500 people were killed Tuesday when an airstrike hit a hospital compound in the center of Gaza City, the Gaza Health Ministry said. However, Israeli officials have denied targeting the hospital, saying they believe the blast was caused by a rocket from Hamas or Islamic Jihad that fell short and hit the site.
The news of the deadly strike came hours before President Joe Biden departed for Israel to deliver a message Wednesday of support to a key U.S. ally.
President Biden had also planned to meet with leaders of Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority on a stop in Jordan, but that meeting was canceled after hundreds were killed in the hospital tragedy.
Since the war broke out, Palestinian officials said Israel’s attacks have killed about 3,000 people and injured roughly 12,500 others, most of them women and children.
In Israel, authorities said Hamas’ terror attacks have killed about 1,400 people and wounded 3,500 others.
Thirteen U.S. nationals remain unaccounted for, as of Tuesday, and 30 U.S. citizens have been confirmed killed.
As many as 600 U.S. nationals are believed to be among the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in Gaza.
SEATTLE MAN FLIES TO ISRAEL:
Zack Acker, who lives in Seattle, has been to Israel four times.
After he learned about the war, he booked a flight and departed for Israel on Saturday and arrived in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel on Sunday.
“Never in human history has turning away and looking away from evil stopped evil. I needed to see what was happening with my own eyes,” he said.
He brought several bags with him, which contained nearly 4,000 pieces of medical supplies, and used all his PTO to help first responders and healthcare workers on the frontlines of the war.
“What was happening (Israel-Hamas war) was different. That became very, very clear very fast,” he said. “I’m pro-Palestinian, pro-Israeli, and pro-human lives, and that’s why I’m here to do whatever I can, however small or large in impact, that is to help relieve the suffering that is occurring all around me at all times.”
Acker said he collected roughly $1,500 and thousands of supplies, including gauze, tourniquets, blood bags, etc., so people who are injured have a fighting chance to survive.
Acker, who had previously volunteered at a hospital in downtown Jerusalem for about a year, said he understands what many workers need.
“From my time working in the Israeli healthcare system, I understand what trauma is, what wound care is, and what types of supplies are most needed by frontline workers to save life,” he said.
Soon after Acker arrived in Israel, he said he found himself near ground zero where sirens began sounding off as a rain of missiles struck near him.
“Just while I’ve been here the last couple of days, there have been multiple rocket attacks fired very very close to where we are. You hear the explosions,” he said. “There are millions of civilians caught in the crossfire here. I have friends that I grew up with in the Seattle area that live here now, in the south, whose relatives are now dead.”
Acker told us he has donated the supplies to the National Ambulance System along with a number of individual hospitals, while purchasing toys and supplies for children who have been displaced because of the war.
“They (children) didn’t have time to bring school supplies with them. With the funds and the means I have available to me, education is very important to me along with healthcare, and I wanted to make sure I can at least help them continue learning, and try to maintain some sense of normalcy during this time,” he said.
We asked Acker what he had been seeing and hearing during his trip to better understand how the war had affected people in the area.
“I can hear the kids outside trying to play knowing the horrors they must have witnessed,” he responded. “There’s no young person, no child should have to experience this. Having armed men come into your home, your community, indiscriminately firing, killing, throwing grenades, setting people on fire before killing them. It’s barbaric. It’s inhumane.”
As Acker faced the uncertainty of death around him, he said he reflected on his grandfather, who survived the Holocaust, to find his strength amid the chaos.
“My family has a history of experiencing suffering, internalizing it, and taking action. That was my first instinct. How can I help? What can we do to relieve suffering?” he said.
He said many people within the Jewish community “are not okay. We feel alone. We feel isolated in this war right now.”
Despite the heavy emotions, he said he is focused on helping people – on both sides of the war – who are stuck amid the fighting.
“I’m 100% pro-Israeli. I’m 100%pro-Palestinian. There’s no reason these two people can’t live together, side by side, in peace,” he said. “Who knows how long it’s going to take for some of these people to overcome and work through this grief, but if I can aid to help that healing, that’s why I’m here. That’s what I’m about. "
Acker said his current trip is scheduled for three weeks, but he plans to stay as long as he can to provide support for people in need.
Acker has created a GoFundMe to purchase medical supplies and equipment to help first responders and healthcare workers. If you’d like to help, please click here.