On Friday, a United Hatzalah volunteer ambulance team from Modi’in reconnected with a soldier they had saved on the now infamous terror-ridden Shabbat Simchat Torah two weeks ago.
On the morning of October 7th, paramedic Itzik Kara mobilized an intensive care ambulance team in the face of unfolding events in the south. The team was also comprised of EMTs Caryn Weinstein Gale, Noemie Dray, and ambulance driver Sergio Geralnik.
Upon their arrival near the battle zones just before 10 am, the team began treating both soldiers and civilians, saving the lives of many who had sustained serious and often critical injuries from gunfire and RPG (rocket-propelled grenade)s.
At approximately 12:30 pm, they received a call regarding an IDF vehicle that had emerged from a battle zone, carrying a soldier who had been found bleeding after being on his own for hours following a devastating anti-tank missile strike and a fragmentation grenade explosion in the APC (armored personnel carrier) that he had been riding in.
The soldier had sustained severe injuries to his shoulder, his chest, and the back of his head. The team promptly administered essential care, dressing the wounds, and addressing his very low blood pressure by providing fluid through an intravenous (IV) line.
The ambulance team then rushed the soldier to Barizilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, where he received further medical stabilization. After a few hours, the soldier was transferred to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he has since been recovering.
A few days later, the team came across a Facebook post about the soldier’s fate: he had survived. Dray managed to get in touch with the soldier’s family who told her that the soldier wanted to meet with the volunteers who saved his life.
On Friday, the entire team traveled to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where they shared a heartfelt reunion. Both sides recounted how events had transpired from their point of view and the soldier thanked the team for saving him, noting that without the care they had provided he likely would not have survived long enough to make it to the hospital.
After the meeting, Kara reflected on what had transpired. “It was a very difficult day during which we witnessed horrors, and many people we saw were unfortunately beyond help,” he said. “However, thanks to the efficient cooperation with the IDF and within our team, we were also able to save many lives.
“We were not sure if this soldier had survived and it was a great relief for us to hear that he had. It was really moving to meet with him.”
