A HEROIC volunteer who provides aid in war-torn countries has spoken about the dramatic moment she saw a rocket fly over her head whilst helping fleeing Brits in Israel.
Nancy Cohn, of Manningtree, who has dedicated more than 30 years to the NHS as a child and adult psychotherapist, first joined the British Red Cross in 2017.
Last year, she was deployed to Israel to help almost 1,000 British nationals and their dependants return safely to the UK.
Now, Nancy has lifted the lid on her brush with danger.
She said: “I wasn’t that frightened to get the call to deploy. Maybe I should have been, but I wasn’t.
“That said, the moment I saw a rocket go by right above our heads made my heart race a little faster.
“We were in a taxi returning from the airport to our hotel and the air raid sirens sounded.
“The driver immediately stopped the car and we got out to lie on the ground covering our heads.
“It was an unusual moment, but I did not feel terrified. I think it’s because I’ve been close to a warzone and heard gunshots before.
“My feeling was that you would have to be unlucky to be on the exact spot where the rocket landed.”
Nancy’s strong experience dealing with serious burn victims in the UK and supporting people affected by the Yugoslavian civil war stood her in good stead to offer specialist psychological support.
She went out “about ten times” with UNICEF working in a children’s hospital in Montenegro to help medical staff and children during the civil war.
Nancy first flew to Tel Aviv on the same military plane as then-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly just four days after the October 7 attack.
She said she was “pleased to have played a small part in helping people at such a time of distress”.
“It is fantastic the Foreign Office turned to the British Red Cross to offer crucial expert support for people going through the most distressing situations imaginable,” added Nancy.
“Just having someone there to discuss how they are feeling, letting them talk about their experience, acknowledging what they’ve been through, and offering support, can make such a massive difference to a person’s longer-term recovery.”
What is the Israel-Hamas war?
The Israel-Hamas war has been taking place in and around the Gaza Strip for months.
The UK Government has more than trebled its aid funding for the Occupied Palestinian Territories to more than £100million this financial year – with £70million announced since the Middle East crisis erupted in October.
It is working with aid agencies including the British Red Cross, Unicef, the UN World Food Programme and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said: “Too many people in Gaza are suffering.
“No one should be without basic amenities like shelter and bedding, and everyone deserves the dignity that basic hygiene kits provide.
“Our largest aid delivery, combined with a new UK-funded field hospital, will save lives.
“But an immediate pause in the fighting is the only way to get aid into Gaza in the quantities desperately needed. This will also allow for the safe release of hostages.
“We could then work towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting or loss of life.”
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