Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by / Mohamad Chreyteh
01:15 Ali Othman / Volunteer rescue worker
02:14 Fakhria Othman / Ali's mother

Script:

Beirut… after another Israeli strike 
Some search for survivors 
Others recover the dead 
For Ali Othman, this is routine 

((Inside restaurant)) 

((Atmo)) “Would you like still or sparkling water?” 

By day, he serves tables in a Beirut restaurant 
 
((Inside base)) 

When one shift ends, another begins. 

By night, he risks his life as a volunteer rescue worker. 

His father Hussein is a veteran rescuer. 

And his brother Mohamad now volunteers beside him. 

+++ Mohamad Othman, Ali’s brother +++  
“So many people were killed recently, and recovering their bodies from beneath the rubble was exhausting. Especially because we are underequipped.” 
    
+++ Ali Othman, Volunteer rescue worker +++ 
“There are people who are more tired than we are. So we have to keep going.”  

+++ Haidar, Team Member   
“We cannot show them any sign of fatigue.”  

+++ Hussein, Ali’s father +++ 
"I am very proud of them. All of them.”

Ali and his team are always on standby...  and ready to search the rubble whenever an airstrike hits.

This is the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold south of Beirut.

At least 28 bodies have been recovered here… including those of women and children. 

+++ Ali Othman, Volunteer rescue worker +++ 
“We’ve been here for five to six days since the attack. We’ve been working around the clock. We sleep here, eat and drink here, pray here, and work in shifts. We won’t leave until we retrieve the last body from beneath the rubble.”

The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has left over a million people displaced…  

Including Ali’s family. 

+++ Ali Othman, Volunteer rescue worker +++ 
“There’s my house. ... This place used to be full of life. Now it’s empty.” 

Their home was damaged by Israeli strikes.

The family is now renting a home outside Beirut. 

+++ Ali Othman, Volunteer rescue worker+++ 
“I haven’t seen my family in two weeks. I’ve been staying in Beirut for my work and my service… and they’re quite far away.”

Today, Ali is driving to visit their new home in the mountains. 

When his mother and sister see Ali, their relief is visible.  

+++ Fakhria Othman, Ali’s mother+++ 
“I worry about him all the time. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I’m staying here with my daughter waiting for my family. Thank God there is a ceasefire, but we still don’t feel safe. Everything is very tense.” 

Ali’s father and brother have also joined the rare family reunion. 

They share their first meal together in over a month. 

Soon after, Ali returns to his base in Beirut...  

and his life juggling work and his wartime mission. 

Always on standby. Always between shifts.
 
Rest for Ali is just the short time between alarms.

END