As missiles continue to hit northern Israel, Magen David Adom (MDA) staff and volunteers pursue their humanitarian mission. To date, MDA personnel treated and evacuated 635 casualties, of whom 28 were pronounced dead, and 41 were classified as severely in
As missiles continue to hit northern Israel, Magen David Adom (MDA) staff and volunteers pursue their humanitarian mission. To date, MDA personnel treated and evacuated 635 casualties, of whom 28 were pronounced dead, and 41 were classified as severely injured.
Additionally, they treated 376 more civilians suffering from anxiety and stress and MDA teams transported 115 elderly and disabled persons from the affected area to the central part of Israel.
MDA crews treated victims on the street, with no shelter besides their personal helmet and protective vest. All MDA operations centers are working from underground shelters.
“The staff and volunteers of Magen David Adom have been working around the clock for 14 days now. The sirens go off several times a day in the north of Israel, and everyone jumps, waiting for the unknown,” says Chaim Rafalowski, Director of MDA’s Emergency Dept. “The reality is sad, and the population is under tremendous pressure. We are doing our best to assist them in every possible way.”
MDA volunteers also collected and distributed 400 hot meals to the population in the northern cities of Zefat, Kiryat Shmona and Hazor, where inhabitants have been living in shelters since hostilities started.
Magen David Adom has also launched a massive blood donation campaign, and, as a result, collected 5,000 additional blood units, for an emergency stockpile.
MDA is on its highest level of alert. Some 750 ambulances and 120 Advanced Life Support vehicles are on call, a operations room was established at MDA's national headquarters, and MDA managers are participating in coordination meetings and monitoring the situation closely.