A moving ceremony was held on Thursday (May 2, 2024) to dedicate 15 ambulances and mobile intensive care units (MICUs) that were donated to Magen David Adom in memory of the MDA volunteers who fell during the "Iron Swords" War, murdered while carrying out their MDA duties or killed in battle defending the State.
The ceremony, hosted by model, actress and TV presenter Miri Bohadana, was held in the presence of the families of the fallen, MDA Director General Eli Bin, members of the Israeli Friends of Magen David Adom society, MDA senior managers, staff and volunteers. The ambulances and MICUs were dedicated during the ceremony. The inscriptions on each of the vehicles were revealed one-by-one by each of the families.
The 15 ambulances and MICUs will be placed in the coming days at the MDA stations where the fallen staff and volunteers were active, and will be used by Magen David Adom staff to save lives.
The families' representative, Assaf Shemen, whose son Itamar was an MDA volunteer and IDF Paramedic who fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip, spoke at the moving ceremony:
"We are all here because our children and relatives chose responsibility, volunteered to perform a vital service for the State and its people, and to save lives. I believe that our nation is a wonder, and what creates this wonder is the civilian population, including of course the staff and volunteers of Magen David Adom, alongside public responsibility and morality, where people are prepared to act and show responsibility for the nation. I would like to thank the donors, who have requested to remain anonymous and give their gift in secret – which according to Maimonides is the greatest gift."
MDA Director General Eli Bin: "We battle for the values and survival of the State of Israel. The feeling of loss is made greater when we hear the stories of our fallen, each one is an entire universe, and your pain is unbearable. Each was educated with a sense of great dedication to protect the lives of others. The ambulances donated today by very generous donors who requested to remain anonymous, are in memory of the fallen who all dealt with saving lives. The vehicles will increase the Magen David Adom fleet and assist us in preparing for any event. Even after their death, their life-saving legacy will continue, and in the name of all those people whose lives will be saved by these ambulances, I thank you
