KIEV

- In a hospital in the Ukrainian capital, "Kiev", Rami Abu Shamsiya, head of the Union of Arab Doctors in Ukraine, wanders among his patients, some of whom also knew him as a companion in arms.

Abu Shamsia is one of the Arab community residing in Ukraine for many years, and since the outbreak of the Russian war on Ukraine on February 24, he has been known for his perseverance in treating the injured.

Abu Shamsia tells Al Jazeera Net, "We have known the slogans of struggle since we were children living and studying in Palestine, but we did not feel its true meanings except here in Ukraine when we grew up, because it has become a truly second home, and the aggression against it has clarified the image of Russia for me personally, as an occupying power, here and in Syria and other countries.

Doctor Rami Abu Shamsia chose to stay and treat the injured since the beginning of the war on Ukraine (Al-Jazeera)

Abu Shamsia believes that "the doctor's withdrawal from his position is a betrayal of the honor and humanity of the profession."

He said that many Arab doctors embodied the meaning of perseverance, and joined forces with others in this ordeal, eschewing differences as politicians did, and in an image that calls for pride, "he said.

Patients who are followed by Doctor Abu Shamsia express their appreciation for him, and one of them tells Al Jazeera Net, "He is one of us, even if his name is Arabic."

Since the beginning of the Russian war, the Ukrainian Arabs have participated in the direct fighting fronts, or in the treatment of wounded soldiers and civilians, in addition to engaging in the fields of volunteer and relief work in all its forms.

The family of Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed helps prepare bandages in the hospital, where I stayed for 50 days (Al-Jazeera)

50 days in the treatment of the wounded

According to those in charge of some hospitals, Arab doctors have been "first" to the field of work since the first days of the war, and they have dedicated all their time to that, and so did their family members.

"At six o'clock in the morning on the first day of the war, one of our Arab doctors called me and said that he was ready in his place, even before the start of the usual work," says Doctor Bohdan Djuran, director of a hospital in the capital, Kyiv.

"I was actually ashamed, because I know that other doctors had the idea of ​​displacement, even if they didn't," he added.

As for the story of Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed, who specializes in vascular surgery, it is a vibrant example of consistency, as he spent 50 days continuously in the hospital, and his family was with him.

Ahmed told Al Jazeera Net, "The hospital administration allocated a room for us to stay, so we were reassured, and my wife and daughter were helping to prepare bandages and food for the injured, in addition to participating in collecting and delivering medical aid; at the same time, my doctor son and I were also treating the injuries of soldiers and civilians during the weeks of violent battles." around Kyiv.

He added, "We spent difficult days, but it was an experience of unity and solidarity between all the doctors and their families and the families of the injured, and even some of the barbers who took the initiative to shave us in the hospital when they learned that we were staying here for a long time."

Ahmed is a young man of Algerian origin who joined the Regional Defense Forces (Al-Jazeera)

Soldiers too

Among the Arabs, dozens have joined the "regional defense" forces affiliated with the Ukrainian army in various cities, assuming the tasks of fighting and guarding as necessary.

Al Jazeera Net had spoken to the young Ahmed, who is of Algerian origin, while he was at a training site on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv.

Ahmed believes that "service is a duty imposed by the honor of defending the land and honor, based on belonging to Ukraine, as a land in which I live and hold its nationality and where I formed my family."

The Mufti of the Muslims of Ukraine, Saeed Ismailov, told Al Jazeera Net, earlier, that about a thousand Muslims from Kyiv alone had joined the "regional defense forces", including large numbers of Arabs and others.

Dr. Hamza Issa (second from left) distributes Turkish-Tatar aid to needy people in the Zaporizhia area (Al-Jazeera)

Relief with the support of graduates of Ukraine

The participation of Arabs also emerged in the fields of relief and volunteer work during the war on Ukraine.

Among them is Dr. Hamza Issa, who heads the Islamic Cultural Center in Odessa, and is the father of 8 children who also hold Ukrainian citizenship.

He could have left the country to save his children, but he refused and devoted himself to humanitarian relief work throughout Ukraine, since the beginning of the war.

Issa tells Al Jazeera Net, "I was on a committee to evacuate Arab students from the cities of Ukraine, then I devote myself to relief work, by delivering aid to those who need it, and many of it was with the help of old students who studied in Ukraine, and they did not forget it, so they played a major role in light of the decline or absence of interest from the organizations concerned." and governments of Arab countries.

"I stayed in the separatist Donetsk until 2018, and I only got out of it when I was in danger. It is a matter of religious and moral duty before Muslims, Arabs and Ukrainian society in general, and I am only one of many like myself in this country," Issa added.

The list of Arabs participating in the fighting, medical and relief operations in Ukraine is long, but many of them prefer not to speak or appear in the media, primarily for security reasons.