During the hostage release on Thursday, United Hatzalah (UH) President Eli Beer noted that a Gazan civilian was seen wearing a United Hatzalah sweatshirt, which he claimed was likely stolen on October 7.
Beer confirmed the person was not a UH volunteer and that the sweatshirt was most likely stolen on October 7 from one of the ransacked homes.
Among the crowds during the hostage release, a Palestinian in Gaza was seen wearing a United Hatzalah sweatshirt. Important to note, he is not a United Hatzalah volunteer. According to our investigation, it was probably stolen on October 7th from one of the homes of our… pic.twitter.com/kQBnfF6a3Q
— Eli Beer (@EliBeerUH) January 30, 2025
He said there was no security implication but that it was something that should be noted.
An estimated 2,500 Gaza civilians participated in October 7; many looted destroyed Israeli villages and IDF bases near the border.
United Hatzalah on October 7
On October 7, around 1,700 UH volunteers arrived from dispatch centers and on their own initiative to help save lives.
Over the course of the day, UH volunteers treated over 12,000 people throughout the south of the country, including soldiers and civilians.
Not all the people treated were suffering from injuries from the war directly; many of them were people who had suffered heart and panic attacks during the attacks, but also traffic accidents and even a woman in labor who was unable to reach a doctor.
By midday, Beer had ordered the total mobilization of UH's rescue teams, including three helicopter rescue units.
Beer told the Post, "The first volunteer of United Hatzalah who was killed [on October 7] was an Arab volunteer."
Alan Rosenbaum and Yisrael Medad contributed to this report.