Supporting Israel’s “Life-Line”

In yet another way we are supporting Israel, ICEJ staff recently visited the new central dispatch center of Magen David Adom (MDA), where Israel’s national blood bank is collected and stored. While there, we dedicated a new medi-cycle donated by ICEJ Canada. In its first week of operation, the fully equipped medi-cycle had already responded to more than 10 emergency calls.

Located near Ramle, the MDA center is home to the world’s most secure blood bank, kept 60 feet underground to guard against any attack. The facility is also where MDA’s fleet of ambulances are equipped and maintained. Yet the real backbone of MDA is its nationwide network of 20,000 staff and 33,000 volunteers.
Many of those volunteers sprang into action on October 7 to treat and evacuate wounded Israelis. Amid the heat of battle, MDA lost over 20 volunteers, while Hamas deliberately targeted 14 ambulances. Nonetheless, MDA assisted some 1,000 injured Israelis within the first 24 hours, while its dispatch centers fielded over 21,000 emergency calls that day.

The visit to the MDA center gave our staff a greater appreciation for their work and service to the people of Israe. In the coming months, the ICEJ also will deliver two new ambulances to Magen David Adom.

—By Nativia Samuelsen, ICEJ AID Administrator