I am F.A, worked in journalism during my presence in Ghouta, working as a video editor. I wrote reports about the situations in Eastern Ghouta. At the same time, I supervised a medical center in Ghouta and witnessed several chemical attacks.
The first attack was in April 2013 in the Damascus suburb of Jobar, where the neighborhood was hit with a shell carrying poisonous gas, resulting in injuries to several individuals.
The second attack, which I witnessed, took place on August 21, 2013. Late that night, upon arriving home, I received a distress call via wireless communication from the medical center where I worked in Jobar, urgently requesting assistance in helping the injured in Zamalka. It was between 1:30 and 2:00 after midnight..
We brought all the atropine we had with us and our team turned into a field medical unit in Zamalka. I was shocked by how bad is the catastrophe, and my words fail to describe what I witnessed. I evacuated many injured individuals to a medical center, we faced immense difficulties due to the chaotic displacement movement. Those who survived the chemical attack decided to flee to the inner areas of Ghouta. The medical teams did not have protective masks.
I remember delivering a family of three from Zamalka to the Al-Ihsan Hospital in the town of Hamouriyah, where the number of casualties was estimated in the hundreds. They were initially treated by washing their bodies completely with water. I left the family I had delivered at the hospital door and returned to pick up others, only to find out that the catastrophe had multiplied dramatically within minutes. Some of those with us in the evacuation and rescue turned into victims or casualties.
I rescued about 16 people by my car, and all the medical staff accompanying me except one person died. The victims suffered horrifying symptoms, including difficulty breathing, frothing at the mouth, And disturbances in their eyes, where the pupils appear abnormal. The condition rapidly deteriorated for those unable to breathe, requiring immediate oxygen supply. I myself experienced hallucinations and visual disturbances for about two days.
The targeted areas on 21/8/2013 were all residential neighborhoods without military bases or any military presence. The strikes on the region were intended to kill a largest number of civilians, and the regime is undoubtedly responsible for these attacks.