Pillar of Defense

Summary of Magen David Adom activity during 

operation “Pillar of Defense” 

November 2012 

Magen David Adom 

Israeli Residents’ “Iron Dome”

Map of MDA’s activity in the South Regions 

during operation “Pillar of Defense” 

The total number of ambulance drives 

Number of drives to incident of rocket falls 

Number of ambulances 

23 

45 

MDA in Operation 

“Pillar of Defense” 

87 

Information concerning the following dates: November 14 -21 

13 

9 

53 

88 

13 

26 

240 

91 

5 

164 

1502 

Data taken from the computerized command and Dispatching system and segmented by sectors 

23 

7 

554 

17 

69 

37 

98 

38 

40 

11 

99 

100 

36 

1 

81 

1854 

33 

1 

23 

172 

198 

227 

1616 

1662 

704

“Pillar of Defense” In Numbers 

Operation “Pillar of Defense” continued for 8 days | Number of rockets fired at 

Israel: 1,506 | Number of successful interceptions by the “Iron Dome” system: 431 

| Number of rockets which fell in urban areas: 58 | 190 rockets were fired at the 

city of Ashdod | 115 rockets were fired at the city of Ashkelon | 170 rockets were 

fired at the city of Beersheba | 200 rockets were fired at the town of Ofakim | The 

town of Kiryat Malachi sustained 20 rocket hits | The town of Sderot sustained 120 

rocket hits | 40 rockets were fired at the town of Netivot | 26 rockets were launched 

towards the village of Be’er Tuvia | 103 rockets were launched towards the regional 

council of Hof Ashkelon | 120 rockets and mortar shells exploded in the regional 

council of Sha’ar HaNegev | 30 rockets were launched towards the town of Gan Yavne 

| The Town of Kiryat Gat coped with many rocket barrages. 7 rockets exploded in the 

town | The regional council of Yo’av sustained 9 rocket hits | During the 8 days of 

the operation, 480 rockets were fired at the regional council of Eshkol | 2 missiles 

exploded in injuries and casualties during the operation: 400 | Number of rescue 

vehicles (Mobile Intensive Care Units + regular ambulances) which took part in the 

operation: 450 | Total number of rescue vehicles which were active throughout the 

city of Rishon LeZion | 5 missiles were fired at the city of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv also suffered 

a terrorist attack on a bus | 2 rockets exploded in the communities of Gush Etzion 

| Number of ambulances that operated in Israel, from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat: 885 

| Number of MDA personnel who were active in the field under fire: 350 | During 

the operation, MDA teams were dispatched to about 11,500 incident throughout 

Israel | Out of which, 300 were women giving birth | 640 cases of resuscitation 

| Over 800 cases of suspected cardiac incident | Over 1,000 cases of dispatching 

response teams to road accidents |

From the Director-General’s Desk 

Dear Employees and Volunteers, 

Following the recent ceasefire, the Israeli home front is 

gradually returning to normal in southern and central Israel. 

MDA’s “Pillar of Defense” contribution was a badge of honor 

for us all, employees and volunteers alike. Again and again, 

under constant missile barrage, you went out to treat the 

wounded at risk to your own lives. You did it 

without hesitation and you rushed to every 

assignment with a passionate belief in your 

mission. 

The number of missiles was unprecedented. Day after day, replete with incidents, MDA was at the hub of the 

action – on average, an MDA ambulance was called out every 10 minutes. 

This time, the Dan, Ayalon and Jerusalem regions were also enlisted into battle, areas that have not seen missiles 

for decades. Nevertheless, these dedicated teams rose to the new challenge and performed impeccably. 

During the eight days of fighting, MDA treated more than 300 people. Most were wounded directly from the 

missiles while others were hurt while running for safety. Thousands of volunteers answered constant calls 

from civilians who heard a missile fall nearby. Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, the missiles caused no 

loss of life. 

So to you, the thousands of employees and volunteers who participated in the mission, I want to say a 

personal thank you. 

Volunteers from the north and the center who chose to take on consecutive shifts in the south… 

Volunteers from overseas who came specially to help on the ambulances… 

These angels could not just sit in their home countries doing nothing. They chose to get up, come to Israel 

and do their bit. This is more than just solidarity. This is mutual responsibility to the extent of endangering 

their own lives. 

I want to extend a special thank you to the MDA Friends societies all over the world who wholeheartedly 

supported us throughout the fighting. They worked non-stop in their own countries to publicize our work 

in Israel and their activism is a huge expression of thanks to MDA and to you, our wonderful employees and 

volunteers. 

Know that your efforts are sincerely appreciated all over the globe. 

Many public figures and senior security officials have seen MDA at work first hand over the last few days. 

Every single one of them - without exception - has praised our efficiency, professionalism and the spirit of 

commitment and responsibility for the Jewish people. 

Always with you in your efforts, I too saw how ready and determined you were 

to save lives. Words cannot express my astonishment at how you functioned 

and the camaraderie and sense of purpose personified by each and every one 

of you, true to the values and traditions of Magen David Adom. 

I thank you and your families for your immeasurable support of MDA and I 

pray that this will have been the last time we need to work under fire. 

In deep appreciation. 

Thank you! 

Eli Bin 

Director-General 



5

6 



MDA Activities during Operation 


Magen David Adom, Israel’s national rescue organization, operated at 

the home front during operation “Pillar of Defense”. MDA teams went 

out to care for the wounded, often risking their own lives, hearing 

the sounds of nearby alarms and explosions. Integrated teams of 

employees and volunteers, residents of the South and reinforcements 

forces from all over the country, Israelis and volunteers from abroad, 

went out without any hesitation to handle every incident and cared 

for hundreds of casualties and attended hundreds of incidents. 

As an auxiliary organization for the IDF in times of emergency, and 

an organization performing life-saving operations in daily routine, 

MDA has been engaged in the past in life-saving operations and 

evacuation of casualties in all of Israel’s wars, in military operations 

and mass casualty attacks. In addition, the organization operates, on 

an ongoing basis, to improve, preserve and practice preparedness 

for times of emergency. Consequently, MDA’s quick response to 

operation “Pillar of Defense” was impeccable, and when the first sirens 

sounded, on November 14th, 2012 - the teams were ready for every 

scenario. MDA managed to reach the wounded quickly, equipped 

with bulletproof vests, helmets and all the required equipment. For 

MDA’s Director-General, Rav Magen Eli Bin, this is not the first war. Both 

in the Second Lebanon War and in operation “Cast Lead” Eli has led 

the teams in the home front and closely managed the organization’s 

effective functioning. To him, operation “Pillar of Defense” begun even 

before it was officially declared. The barrages of rockets from the Gaza 

Strip to the communities in the South, preempted a decision to take 

preventive measures. Already on Saturday, November 10th, 2012, Eli 

Bin conducted a Situation Assessment, in which it was decided to 

raise the alert level in threatened sectors within the range of 40 km 

from the Gaza Strip. 

Raising the alert level was activated gradually: the South regions of 

MDA, “Lachish” and “Negev”, raised the alert level to “Level C” which is 

the highest level. The “Ayalon” region increased its alert level to “Level B” which is one level from the top, in order to provide 

additional assistance and reinforcement to the southern regions, should it become necessary. In addition, the Operational 

Centers in the southern regions were moved to locations inside bomb shelters, and emphasis was put on operations to 

maintain and increase the blood supply in MDA’s Blood Services. 

Retrospectively, the aforementioned decision proved to be vital, because during those days, about 120 rockets were fired into 

Israel. Upon receiving reports regarding the commencement of operation “Pillar of Defense,” MDA’s management opened the 

special Situation Room and convened to assess the situation, with MDA’s Director-General, on the phone (as he was, at that 

time, at the Jewish Federations Convention abroad) and in the presence of MDA’s officials from across the country. 

During the Situation Assessment, it was reported that there is an escalation of rocket fire on the communities in the South 

and beyond. Instructions were issued concerning readiness and preparedness to any scenarios. Directors of the various 

departments and regions and several functionaries reported about acts being performed under their responsibility. In 

conclusion of the Situation Assessment, MDA’s Director-General decided to shorten his visit abroad, and he immediately 

returned to Israel. 

Upon his arrival, Eli went to the South to encourage the operational teams and to inspect the preparedness, readiness and 

availability of MDA forces to every scenario. Eli continued to stay with the forces during all the intensive period, arrived on the 

scenes of occurrences, closely supervised the rescue operations and commanded the handling of various incidents. 

Situation Assessments were conducted daily, sometimes several times a day, depending on the developments and events in 

the area, in order to provide professional and immediate response to the challenges which faced us. From the beginning of 

operation “Pillar of Defense,” the rocket and mortar fire in the southern area increased and many civilians were injured. Situation 

Assessments were sometimes conducted inside bomb shelters as well as on the scenes of the incidents. Coordination was 

conducted with the various emergency and rescue agencies, and Magen David Adom also prepared for the possibility of the 

operation being expanded. 

During the operation, MDA forces continued to maintain the highest level of alert and responded to every call, sometimes



while risking their lives. MDA’s regions in the center and north of Israel also maintained a high level of alert. From Kiryat 

Shmona to Eilat, 885 rescue vehicles and 114 motorcycles were operational. MDA’s forces treated roughly 400 casualties, 

including five fatalities. For MDA team members living in the south, the task was far more difficult, as they had to leave their 

family members alone, go out to the field and save lives during alarms and rocket falls. Therefore, MDA’s management helped 

to move the families of MDA employees and volunteers, who live in communities under attack, to a safe place in the town of 

Mitzpe Ramon, allowing the employees and volunteers to operate while having “peace of mind”, free of worries about their 

family members at home. 

The Organization’s professional activities during this operation were highly praised. 

In a survey conducted by the Home Front Command, during operation “Pillar of Defense”, concerning public confidence in the 

ability of MDA to handle a situation of war and missile attacks, MDA received high grades. 

Many Ministers, Members of Knesset and public figures arrived on MDA stations in the South, and praised the organization’s 

activity. 

While recognizing the importance of publicizing the activities of MDA by the media in Israel and abroad, MDA’s International 

Department established an International Information Center at MDA headquarters. The Information Center’s goals were to 

collect, prepare and distribute promotional material regarding the activities of Magen David Adom. Such information was 

distributed to various agencies around the world so they could contribute to the advocacy efforts of the State of Israel. 

The Center was operated by many young individuals who came from various countries around the world: Germany, 

Switzerland, USA, Canada, France and South America. 

The Organization’s emergency preparedness is not funded by the Israeli Government, and because of the actions to enhance 

the emergency preparedness and readiness for the various regions, the organization sustained extremely high expenses. 

Friends Societies of Magen David Adom worldwide launched emergency campaigns to raise funds for the operation. They 

spared no efforts in delivering to their members the message of International partnership and solidarity with the activity of 

“saving lives” which is routine for Magen David Adom in Israel. 

MDA, as the national rescue organization, continued to respond to routine calls as well as to emergency calls. The many MDA 

forces which were participating in operation “Pillar of Defense”, knew that they were not alone in this battle. Many employees 

and volunteers from all over the country came and asked to assist with the activities. MDA’s army reserve unit was also drafted 

in order to provide additional assistance. Many delegations from around the world arrived to assist the operational teams in 

the field. Among them, paramedic delegations from the U.S.A., Belgium and Canada upon arrival joined MDA’s forces in the 

south, engaged in life-saving activities. 

MDA’s Blood Services operated around the clock throughout the operation, to maintain the country’s supply of blood and to 

provide a full response to the needs of the IDF and all hospitals. Blood donations were collected all over Israel, including in the 

bombarded South’s bomb shelters and in military bases. 

During the operation, terrorist organizations tirelessly attempted to carry out terrorist attacks, and indeed, upon receiving 

of initial report about an attack on a bus, at Shaul HaMelech Street in Tel Aviv, MDA forces in the area, joined the intensive 

response. MDA declared a “Mass Casualty Incident” and mobile intensive care units, ambulances, paramedics, and medics 

were rushed to the scene. MDA standby personnel and volunteers were called from their homes, and provided care for 17 

injured persons, including people with moderate and severe injuries. 

Throughout the eight days of operation, MDA was in close contact 

with officials from the IDF, the Israel Police Force, Government Offices 

and the Defense System, in order to provide the most complete 

solution for the home front, and provide the best possible care for all 

civilians and MDA members during this crisis. 

After the operation ended, MDA teams received many praises from 

the high ranking officials in the Israeli government. Prime minister, 

Benjamin Netanyahu, referred to MDA activities during the operation 

and said: “I wish to thank you on behalf of all the citizens of Israel. I 

want to thank the Commander of the firefighting forces and the fire 

fighters, and to MDA’s personnel, led by Eli Bin. Handling the home 

front looks different, and for that, we give you our blessing.” Minister 

of Internal Security, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, also praised all of MDA’s 

forces. 

MDA’s Director-General commended also: “MDA forces doing their 

duty around the clock, throughout the year, showed that even 

during the last week, both employees and volunteers, put all their 

efforts in saving lives within the targeted areas, both in the South 

and Center. There’s no doubt that for their sacrifice, their dedication 

and their amazing abilities, all of MDA’s employees and volunteers 

deserve much gratitude.” 

Scene of a missile attack 

in Ashdod 

7

8 



Conflict Journal | Day 1 | 14.11.2012 | Wednesday 

Starting point for the past several days MDA’s southern regions are on high alert. 

16:00 the news about the elimination of the Hamas Commander is received. MDA Director- 

General, who’s at the Jewish Federations Conference in the US, directs MDA staff to 

elevate the level of alertness. 

16:47 Sirens in Ashqelon: first salvo of rockets towards the city. 

17:00 Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu confirms the beginning of operation “Pillar of 

Defense”. At the same time, MDA Director-General makes assessment of the situation 

with the organization leaders and elevates the level of preparedness and alertness for 

different threat scenarios. At the end of the conversation he catches the first flight 

back to Israel. 

17:50 a report of the security situation is given to the RC representatives. 

18:00 HFC (Home Front Command) orders the southern citizens to stay in a protected space 

till further notice. Schools are shut down. 

19:26 Sirens in Be’er Sheva and Ofakim: barrage of missiles were shot on both cities. 

20:02 Siren in Be’er Sheva: two hits were detected following rockets explosion near vehicles 

and shops. One lightly injured. 

20:24 a report from Deputy Director of the Gilboa region about protests in Nazareth, Handled 

by the police. 

20:25 director of Operations division guides the regions’ directors regarding MDA teams 

operations in riot scenes. 

21:10 Siren in Ashdod: barrage of missiles fired towards the city. A rocket explodes near a 

house and in an open field. The house is damaged. No casualties. 

22:03 Sirens in Ashdod and in Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol councils. 10 rocket falls within 20 

minutes. No casualties. Eshkol council: rocket fell in the area and caused disruptions 

in the electricity supply. 

22:49 reinforcement of dispatching positions at the NMDC (National Medical Dispatching 

Center). At the same time, the Ayalon Dispatching center relocates in the shelter. 

23:00 Sirens in Be’er Sheva, Ashkelon, Sderot, Gan Yavne, Gadera and in Hof Ashkelon council. 

Barrage of missiles were fired towards the cities. 

23:25 sirens in Gadera and Gan Yavne: barrage of missiles fired towards the cities. 

A direct hit of a missile in a 

residence building in Ashdod

Special Aid Delegation from New - York 



Imagine a phone call, late at night, asking you to leave your family and friends and travel to a distant country which is under 

fire. You’re not soldiers and you are not asked to fight, instead, you are asked to save lives on the front line. Eli Roe and his 

colleagues, old friends of MDA International Unit and volunteers in the “New York Rescue” organization, don’t have to imagine 

something like that. They are the ones who received those phone calls on Wednesday after midnight, at their homes in New 

York. 

It’s Raining Rockets and Mortar Shells Here 

“A few hours after receiving the call from our friends at MDA, my companions and I were already sitting in the airplane on our 

way to Tel Aviv,” said Eli. “I entrusted the Company which I run, in the hands of my Deputy Director, said goodbye to my dear 

wife, who had to spend our 19th wedding day all by herself, I kissed my children (aged 8 and 17) goodbye, and went to Israel. 

Watching the news, I knew that the situation here would be complicated, but I did not foresee such a rapid deterioration. I 

know that many people probably think I went out of my mind, but I did it because I made a commitment to help Israel when 

ever I would be asked to, and this is what I did.” 

Friends in Times of Trouble 

Eli and his companions en route to Israel, are members of the HEART (“Hatzola Emergency Ambulance Response Team”) 

organization, which was established during the second intifada. The organization’s primary goal is to offer assistance to MDA 

and to connect between the Paramedics Unit of New York and their Israeli counterparts in times of crisis. Eli himself is the 

chairperson of the organization, and he has been cooperating with MDA for many years now. Without this cooperation, the 

New York organization would not be able to become so organized and to have such a considerable work force. 

In the field, at the scene of events, no difference was traceable between the paramedics from New York and their Israeli 

counterpart. In the Ambulance, together, the MDA personnel and Eli’s team succeed in saving lives where necessary, and treat 

a wide variety of injuries: traumatic injuries as a result of buildings being hit by missiles, penetrating injuries, anxiety and other 

injuries. According to Eli, the real heroes of the operation are the MDA personnel, and the many volunteers who provide aid: 

“All the heroic members of the medical teams realize that by joint efforts they can do their best where it’s needed the most.” 

No. of Missiles fired 75 | No. of ambulances. Dispatched 41 | summary of calls in Ayalon, Lachish and Negev regions 554 | No. of casualties 23 

We shall stay here for as long as we are required 

With encouragement and support from his family members who were left behind, Eli declares that he and his friends would 

not return to the United States as long as the State of Israel would need them. Moreover, other members of the organization, 

who stayed in the U.S.A., are ready and waiting for the call to come to Israel at any time, if necessary. He is less pleased with 

the alarms experience, but such are the circumstances: “We joined the MDA teams in providing care for dozens of casualties 

throughout the day, under constant rocket barrages. We had a good feeling, of partnership, solidarity and of meaningful 

endeavor. The teams are professional and courteous and working together with them was fruitful and interesting.” 

Eli and his team returned to New York at the end of operation “Pillar of Defense,” Eli - to his postponed celebration of anniversary, 

and his companions returned to their normal, daily routine, free of rockets. They will not forget their visit to Israel, but they 

say that they would prefer to arrive under other circumstances: “I feel honored to be here, and my commitment to the Jewish 

people and to the residents of Israel is immense. If I can help and make a difference, you can be sure that I will come here, but 

I hope that the next time we will come, it will be to take a tour and enjoy the country.” 

MDA’s Director-General warmly thanked the New York volunteers, and cherished their life-saving activities in Israel. “By your 

actions, you have proven that “Jewish solidarity” is much more than merely a phrase. Your enlistment, at your own expense, 

without any hesitation, for Magen David Adom in Israel, warms our hearts. We regard you as our brothers and our partners, 

and we would be delighted to welcome you at MDA, in times of peace and tranquility.” 

9

10 



Conflict Journal | Day 2 | 15.11.2012 | Thursday 

00:10 siren in Be’er Sheva, Rahat, and Bney 

Shimon council: barrage of missiles fired 

towards Be’er Sheva. No casualties. 

01:05 Siren in Be’er Sheva: barrage of missiles 

fired towards the city. 

02:35 another siren in Be’er Sheva: barrage of 

missiles fired towards the city. 

03:12 another siren in Be’er Sheva for the 

night: barrage of missiles fired to the 

city. 

07:31 Sirens in Ashdod, Ofakim, Be’er Sheva, 

Ashkelon, Hof Ashkelon municipality and 

Shafir: barrage of missiles and Mortar 

shells. 

08:43 Siren in Kiryat Malachi: a direct hit in 

a residence building, causing the death 

of 3 citizens, among them a pregnant 

woman. 4 casualties, among them a 4 year 

old boy moderately -severely injured 

and 2 babies- one of them 8 months old. 

MDA teams treated the casualties and 

evacuated them to the “Kaplan” medical 

center. 

09:43 report on blocked routes due to the 

situation in the south. 

10:00 Sirens in Kiryat Gat and Be’er Tuvya: 

barrage of missiles fired toward the 

cities. 

11:00 MDA Director-General lands in Israel and 

leaves immediately to the south. 

11:30 fire up north: a shooting coming from 

Syria hit an Israeli outpost in Ramat 

Hagolan, and an IDF soldier is lightly 

injured. 

11:56 a direction for the Lachish and Negev 

regions: all vehicles must have additional 

helmet and flak jacket for the protection 

of the patients during an evacuation. 

12:42 Sirens in Be’er Sheva, Ofakim, and Sha’ar 

HaNegev: barrage of missiles fired toward 

the cities. 5 rockets fall detected in 

built-up areas. 

12:47 5 treatment centers for civilians 

suffering from stress symptoms were 

opened. 

14:45 director of Operations division reports 

on a possibility of antitank fire for 

vehicles driving near Gaza. MDA Director- 

General orders all teams to use armored 

vehicles in the danger area, wearing 

helmets and flak jackets. 

14:58 Siren in Eshkol municipality: a hit was 

detected. 3 IDF soldiers were injured 

from a mortar shell bomb near Eshkol. 

One moderately-severely injured and 2 

lightly injured. The casualties were 

treated and evacuated. 

15:26 Sirens in Sderot: Iron dome succeeded in 

intercepting 3 rockets fired towards the 

city. No casualties. 

17:00 MDA Director-General’s assessment. He 

orders to elevate the level of alertness 

in the central regions, move the 

dispatching centers to the shelters and 

Instructions to reinforce the southern 

area with volunteers. 

18:45 First Siren in Tel Aviv 

19:17 MDA Director- General Orders to move 50% 

of the blood stock to the shelter. 

19:32 the Jerusalem and Sharon regions elevate 

their level of alertness to level C. 

the northern regions elevate 

the level of alertness to level B. 

The building that was 

hit in Kiryat Malachi

Angels from Kiryat Malachi 

The direct rocket attack on the building in 

Kiryat Malachi, on the second day of the 

operation, will be remembered by all the medics 

who participated in caring for the dead and 

wounded. Ran Me’ir, a MDA medic, tells: 

Blood and destruction everywhere 

“On Thursday morning, as I was riding on an 

MDA standby motorcycle, I heard the alert siren. I 

immediately looked for shelter and waited for the 

danger to pass. Seconds after hearing the siren, my 

pager beeped, report about a direct rocket attack on 

a building at the “Chabad” neighborhood in town. I 

rushed over there, was the first to arrive on the scene. 

An ambulance crew arrived almost on the same time, 

with a volunteer. I declared “Command 10” (the first 

force on the scene) and searched the building for 

casualties. Unfortunately, the area was took a very 

hard hit, and the wounded people were trapped 

under the debris. This considerably worsened their 

condition. 

I did my best to save him 

“Without waiting for rescue teams, I began the search 

by myself, despite the personal risk. I soon found 

a person critically injured, and began performing 

CPR. The scene was full of blood and rubble. Some 

of the wounded were in a very serious condition. 

Despite resuscitation attempts, I was unable to save 

the casualty, and later on, he was pronounced dead. 

Despite the difficulty, I gathered my strength and 

proceeded to provide care for two children, who 

were crying and scared.” 

I felt the need to protect those orphans 

“My children are of the same age as the children who 

were injured by the rocket blast. My mind was set to 

take care of them, protect them and prevent their 

suffering and pain. I treated them gently, trying to 

calm them as much as possible. I felt very bad about 

the fact that their mother lost her life in that incident, 

that their father sustained a serious injury himself. In 

addition to the death of their mother, the rocket had 

also robbed them of their baby brother or sister, who 

was in their dead mother’s womb. The father wasn’t 

aware of the tragic death of his wife, and he also did 

not know the condition of his children. We tried to 

calm both him and his children at the same time, and to prevent the 

wounded from suffering a serious emotional trauma.” 

Taking care of the wounded, Jews and Palestinians alike 

Since 1996, Ran has been working at the Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi 

stations in the “Lachish” region. As part of his job, Ran coordinates 

transfers of Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip to Israeli hospitals, 

and works regularly with the Palestinian Authority. Ran also volunteered 

as a standby medic at the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council and in this role, 

he attended many calls about falling rockets. Ran’s motorcycle – thanks 

to which he arrives first in many cases - “Lachish 1149” was donated 

by Renee Hodari, through the British Friends of Magen David Adom 

Association, and thanks to it, as Ran admits, he was given the opportunity 

to save many lives. 



MDA’s Standby Unit is comprised of 3,000 volunteer medics from all over Israel. Their role is to respond to incidents which 

require saving lives before the arrival of the ambulance, to provide treatment to the casualties and later on, to assist the team 

with treatment and evacuation. The volunteers are equipped with tracking devices and with first aid and CPR equipment 

in their own private vehicle or in the life-saving-motorcycles. 

They arrive, within a few minutes, to the scene of any incident. 

Less than a day after the operation began, rocket fire into the 

southern communities intensified, and one rocket directly hit 

a building in Kiryat Malachi, injuring many and killing three 

people, including a young pregnant woman, 26 years old, who 

was the mother of four children. Zvi Hirsch, an MDA volunteer 

ambulance driver, was one of the first to arrive at the scene. 

A sense of foreboding 

“The day begins with the sounds of multiple alarms. I was 

staying with my six children in our home, and on the alert. 

Suddenly we heard loud explosions, followed by a call on the 

radio transmitter. I realized that the impact was at a nearby 

area. I took the medical equipment and rushed to the scene. 

When I arrived there, I saw that a rocket had hit a four story 

building. In my initial screening of the scene, I found two 

persons lightly wounded, who were sitting, frightened, on a 

bench at the entrance to the building. I asked the volunteers 

who were with me to help them, and I continued with my 

search for more casualties. The building took a hard hit and 

it was highly likely that there would be additional casualties.” 

Hard scenes of destruction and of dead and wounded 

people 

“I went into an apartment, and found an unconscious woman, 

who was seriously injured. Additional staff members, who 

arrived at the scene, began resuscitation, and I continued to 

search the area. The extent of the destruction was enormous 

and inside the apartment, two more casualties were found. 

Their condition was critical and despite the intensive 

resuscitation, we had to pronounce their deaths. I went 

down to the entrance of the building and began to treat 

another wounded person, the husband of the woman from 

fourth floor who was killed. During my treatment of him, a 

social worker approached me. She was carrying in her arms 

a baby approximately 8 months old, with her clothes stained 

with blood, and she was crying and scared. I noticed that she 

suffered from a head injury. I treated the infant and her father, 

and afterwards I evacuated both of them to the Kaplan Hospital 

in Rehovot. The sight of the injured baby was shocking and 

the images will be engraved in my memory.” 

The heart breaks in view of the family being torn apart 

“No words can describe the feelings that overwhelmed me 

when I was faced with such an incident. Witnessing hurt 

children, providing treatment and coping with such incidents, 

pose much difficulty. That incident - more than any other 

incident which I have handled over the years - will remain 

burned into my heart and soul forever. I came back to the 

hospital to visit the family members, and I was glad to hear 

that the baby was released. The father and another brother 

remained hospitalized for further treatment of their injuries.” 

In the devastating incident at Kiryat Malachi, MDA’s forces 

cared for 16 casualties, including two men and a woman 

who were killed by the rocket blast, another man and a one 

year old baby, both injured by shrapnel and were evacuated 

in light to medium condition, 4 persons slightly wounded 

by shrapnel and 6 persons with anxiety shock. In addition, 

a man of about 60 was evacuated from the scene, suffering 

from chest pains. All casualties were evacuated to the 

Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot. 


11

12 



Sderot residents in the volunteer ranks 

Israeli reality does not allow our children to remain children for long, and the MDA medics, just like soldiers who are only 18 years 

old, are entrusted with great responsibility. Volunteers aged 15 to 18 operate in ambulances and mobile intensive care units. 

These youth volunteers undergo a 60 hours first-aid course and take shifts as integral members of the ambulance team. During 

times of emergency, their activity is carried out only inside sheltered areas or at a MDA station. They assist the teams and carry 

out activities of logistics and administration. The operational role is rigorously performed by the adult volunteers. During the 

past year, MDA has trained, in the communities around the Gaza Strip, additional ambulance drivers, in order to reinforce the 

workforce both in routine and in times of emergency, when the needs are intensified and the youth have to be replaced. Among 

the new volunteers, who have just finished the ambulance driving training and found themselves, right away, in the middle of 

a storm, is Hadar Shitrit, a 24 years old woman from the town of Sderot, who is a first aid instructor and an ambulance driver. 

Me? I’m fine 

Our interview with Hadar was postponed several times due to sirens, and once because she had to take care of a family member, 

after a rocket landed near her and caused her great shock and anxiety. “Now she is fine. I escorted her to the center for anxiety 

patients and stayed with her until she calmed down. It wasn’t my first time of taking care of family members: on the first day of 

operation “Pillar of Defense”, I was on ambulance duty. T was dispatched to a house which took a direct hit. When I heard the 

address it was if I had been struck by lightening - it was my home address! Luckily the rocket fell in the yard so that our house 

was only slightly damaged, but the neighbors’ house took a hard blow.” 

Vulnerable under the barrage of rocket, but I would never leave a patient behind 

“Even before the operation, I dealt with sirens and rockets daily. It’s a little bit frightening, because when we treat the wounded 

in a building or out on the street, we are very vulnerable. Sometimes we do not know whether we should treat the patient on 

the spot or maybe we should first evacuate him to a sheltered area. There were times when I was giving treatment and rockets 

went flying over my head. There was an incident where I took care of an elderly woman out in the middle of the street and when 

the siren was heard, she could not move herself. I hugged her and we stayed together, out there on the street. I prayed that we 

would not be hurt by a rocket or shrapnel.” The reality of life in the town of Sderot is not known to many residents of Israel or the 

world. It is a reality of living under the constant threat of rockets, injuries, casualties and immense anguish to all family members. 

The town’s greatest heroes are the employees and volunteers. Those ambulance drivers and paramedics endanger themselves, 

by going out to save their neighbors, their relatives or their children’s classmates. 

No sleep, but also no complaints 

“This morning I treated 9 wounded people,” says Hadar, “I was not idle for a single moment, one call after the other. I didn’t sleep 

for one minute. Since the first rocket attack, when I rushed to the station, I responded to dozens of emergency calls. I have not 

seen my family since Wednesday. It is impossible to sleep at night, because you constantly hear the alerts, warning of a rocket 

launch, the sound of blasts made by the “Iron Dome” during interceptions, the sound of Air-Force jets on a mission. It’s noisy 

all the time. Once I went out of Sderot and slept at the MDA station in Ashdod, because it’s relatively “more quiet” over there. 

But even if I’m not on duty, I come to the station, and if I’m not on ambulance duty then I’m there to give first aid training to 

the public. I feel the need to provide people with the tools to save lives, so everyone will know how to provide care in cases of 

emergency.” 

Unable to reach the bomb shelter on time 

Sderot suffered severe rocket barrages throughout the eight days of operation “Pillar of Defense”, and while residents of other 

cities have half a minute of prior warning between the alert siren and the actual rocket blast, Sderot has a prior warning time of 

only 10 seconds. “In most cases, I’m unable to reach the bomb shelter on time. I run as fast as I can, but that’s not quick enough. 

I hear the rocket blasts long before I can get into a sheltered area.” 

Station members encourage each other 

“Life in Sderot can’t be called “living”. We are tired, exhausted, in a constant state of war. This is how we feel. We hear exchange 

of gunfire all the time. We have learned to distinguish between our fire and their fire. Now we have also learned to recognize 

the new of “Iron Dome”. Sometimes I have to speak with someone, to pour my heart out. So we all gather at the station and we 

encourage each other. We’re a very close-knit family. I hope that my brothers will also find a place of comfort. They are aged 13 

and they know no other reality.”

Conflict Journal | Day 3 | 16.11.2012 | Friday 



06:12 dozens of missiles were fired in to southern Israel. Many of them falling in open 

spaces. 

11:24 the administration division orders all employees to cancel vacations in Israel and 

mapping all employees with in MDA in order to construct an accurate picture. At the 

same time, rabbinical committees publish conduct recommendations for religious workers 

and volunteers during Shabbat. 

11:30 a decision to reinforce the Ayalon region is taken -Reinforcing the MDA Yavne Station 

with a MICU 24hours a day and 2 more ambulances. The Gadera and Rehovot stations are 

also reinforced with 3 on-call ambulances at every shift. 

13:28 rockets fired to Tel-Aviv. Fall in open spaces. No casualties. 

15:00 MDA Director-General makes an evaluation of the situation, while emphasizing the need 

to refresh the regulations regarding the wounded replacement points. Efforts are being 

put in to enlarge the inventory of the type O+ blood units. 

16:04 Sirens in the south area. Heavy salvos fired to the south. 

16:49 Missiles fired to Jerusalem. Fall in open spaces. No casualties. 

17:17 Heavy salvos fired to the south. 

17:40 the Sharon and Jerusalem regions dispatch centers move to the shelters. 

20:03 the Jerusalem Dispatch center operates from the shelter. 


Traditional Shabbat at the 

Sderot station, under fire 

Who will drink the wine of Kiddush? During the traditional 

Shabbat meal, at the MDA station in the southern town 

of Sderot, the issue of making the Kiddush over the wine 

was brought up. The teams, who had to be ready to leave 

immediately to an incident scene, were singing “For He 

will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all 

thy ways.” (Psalms Chapter 91, Verse 11) and right away they sang 

“A woman of valor who can find?”(Proverbs Chapter 31, Verse 

10) remember their wives and families who are back at 

home, while they are on duty inside the bomb shelters, 

and at the stations. 

Supper was conducted according to all the traditional 

customs, where the solution for drinking the Kiddush 

wine was through having the Kiddush with Strictly 

Kosher (“LeMehadrin”) grape juice. 

13

14 



The State’s Central Blood Bank, 

continues to supply blood at 

full capacity, also in times of 

emergency 

Collecting blood donations, which saved lives 

During Operation “Pillar of Defense”, the teams of MDA Blood Services operated with increased capacity to maintain Israel’s blood reserves. 

Events of collecting blood donations in the South region were carried out in sheltered areas, but due to the constant rocket barrages, the staff 

and donors were not spared from running into the bomb shelters. Unfortunately, to the astonishment of the MDA team, one of the events of 

collecting blood donations in the South turned from a routine collecting event into a mass casualty incident. 

Eran Elbaz, a Blood Bank employee, tells about those moments of anxiety: “We went out with the “Negev” Region’s team of blood collectors, 

to an important event for collecting blood. During the event, we collected more than 80 units of blood, but the collecting was discontinued 

because of the sound of the siren in the area. Due to the daily routine in the rocket-stricken region of southern Israel, we have carried out 

many blood collecting events “under fire”, so we were not agitated. Already in operation “Cast Lead”, I have collected blood donations under 

ongoing rocket attacks. In fact, during the last period, most blood collecting events were carried out under fire, since Hamas began firing 

rockets long before the IDF began its operation in the Gaza Strip.” 

Began as a routine, ended as a nightmare 

“We reported to duty just like on any other day and we received a security briefing before going out to collect blood. On every blood 

collecting event, we are equipped with first aid and resuscitation equipment, both for the blood donors and also if we encounter an incident 

with casualties. All of MDA’s personnel have the knowledge of how to save lives, and this is especially true concerning our team, who once 

worked in ambulances. During the briefing, we were told that the blood collecting events are carried out only inside sheltered areas. When 

we arrived at the collecting location, we were assigned a room marked as “sheltered area”. Being extra cautious, I made sure that this was 

indeed the “sheltered area”, since it had windows. I was told that there is another sheltered area which was more suitable for our needs, and 

therefore I instructed the staff to move. A few minutes later, the “Code Red” alert was heard, and after a few seconds, we heard a rocket blast 

nearby. I lead the team and we went to check if there were any casualties, but luckily, the rocket fell in an open field, and there were none. 

A few minutes later, the siren sounded again, and once again, we all gathered inside the sheltered area where the collecting of blood 

donations took place. This time, the sound of the blast was horrible and seemed to be much closer. As we were the only medical force around, 

we quickly organized and went out to examine the scene. We identified a direct rocket hit in the sheltered area where we settled first. There 

were ten wounded people there, mostly with bruised limbs and shrapnel injuries all over the body. I reported to the regional control center 

about the rocket hit, the exact location of impact, the casualties and their types of injuries. At the same time, we provided life-saving first aid 

to all the victims: we controlled the bleeding, identified life threatening situations and later on, we fixed fractures. The ambulances arrived on 

the scene within minutes and evacuated the wounded to various hospitals in the region.“ 

Must keep cool 

“Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of its kind which I have seen. Like every human being, there is a great deal of stress at first, but the 

trick is knowing how to push that stress aside, get a grip on myself, and realize that human lives depend on the decisions which I’m about to 

make. As a member of an ambulance crew, you brace yourself for incidents of various kinds, in which you might encounter casualties. When 

you collect blood donations, your mind works differently. You do not mentally prepare yourself to an incident where rockets fall and there 

are many casualties. No one likes to see such sights, but having said all that, you need to know how to keep cool when you go out to treat 

the wounded.” 

Returning to routine, hoping for peace and quiet 

As early as the day following the aforementioned incident, Eran and his team went back to their blood collecting operations, despite their 

inner sense of distress, due to their great commitment and understanding that without the blood reserves, the organization would not be 

able to help the wounded. This is our mission and we are committed to it. The missiles will not stop us.” 

During Operation “Pillar of Defense”, the teams of MDA’s Blood Services have collected more than 6,600 units of blood.

Blood donation in Ashdod 

Direct hit by a missile in a residential 

building in Ashdod 

MDA’s Director-General comforting a 

child during an alarm, on the Ayalon 

Highway in Tel Aviv 




Conflict Journal | Day 4 | 17.11.2012 | Saturday 

05:06 Heavy barrage of missiles is fired 

to the southern area. Rockets were 

fired constantly all day long. 

14:17 a direct hit in a residence building 

in Ashdod. 4 lightly injured. 10 

suffering from stress symptoms. 

15:00 Director-General conducts 

evaluation of the situation – 

updates and reports, regarding 

how to perform at scenes, use the 

protective gear, high alertness 

emphasizing the possibility of 

hostile terrorist activity, farrange 

shooting and few events at 

the same time. 

16:36 Sirens in Tel-Aviv, Bat-Yam, Holon 

and Rishon-Leziyon. Iron dome 

succeeded in intercepting 2 rockets 

fired. No damage was caused. 

17:05 Sirens in Be’er Shaeva, Sderot, 

Ashdod and Ashkelon. A rocket fell 

in Ashdod in an open space. No 

Casualties. 

17:17 the Carmel region Dispatching 

Center and the Blood Services are 

preparing to go to the emergency 

dispatch center. 

17:20 a barrage of missiles fired to 

Be’er Sheva. 3 were intercepted 

successfully; one fell in an open 

space. No casualties. 

17:30 the Iron Dome System intercepts 

2 missiles in the Sderot area. 

Another one fell in an open space. 

No casualties. 

18:00 Iron Dome intercepts 4 missiles 

in Ashkelon, one fell in an open 


15

MDA 

President 

Avi Zohar 

and MDA’s 

Director- 

General Eli 

Bin, on a 

scene of a 

missile attack 

16 


“Pillar of Defense”

Twenty years under missile threat 

Lior Greenberg has been working in MDA for the last 20 years. He lives in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. With the beginning of the operation, he 

quickly brought his children back to their mother’s home in Ashdod, packed a bag with a few clothes and went to the station in 

Sderot, where he stayed continually since the that morning, non-stop, without any rest, without the possibility of returning to his 

home in the Kibbutz, which suffers heavy and constant rocket bombardment, for days on end. 

I knew that troubles are just beginning 

“After the targeted elimination of Ja’abari, I understood the reality, which already was almost impossible, would to change rapidly. 

From that moment on, the rocket sirens began to sound, rocket began falling, people were injured and the situation became restless. 

I cannot leave the station. I have no place to return to. The Kibbutz has been under fire for days now. There’s no one there. They all 

fled for their lives. I was told that my house was not damaged, so far. This is a stupid situation. We are locked at the station for a week.” 

I miss the children 

“I have not seen my children since the operation began. It’s my greatest difficulty. My children are in Ashdod, staying with their 

mother and I’m here in Sderot. Even if I take a leave and go to see them, where to would I take them? Nowhere is safe. I cannot take 

them to hang around in the city, as I cannot get out of the sheltered area. There’s no chance of going to my home in the Kibbutz, 

because it’s too dangerous. It’s an extreme difficultly.” 

Each day, you go out in response to dozens of calls and you meet many residents, how they react to the situation? “The population 

in Ashdod is very strong. You can sense that. During operation “Cast Lead”, we have evacuated more trauma victims. Nowadays the 

civilians are tougher, they do not mind suffering more, provided that this nightmare will be stopped, once and for all. “ 

Lior speaks quickly, typical of a person who has been living too long in a danger zone, in a state of constant threat. There’s no time to 

talk, there are bomb alerts, and he has to run into a shelter, there are patients to care for, as he has been doing that for days without 

a break, without rest. During the interview, he received a message about of an unconscious casualty at the Eschol area. He is silent 

for a moment, gathering his strength. 

In the midst of all the sirens, how do you feel? “I’m tired and exhausted, but I will not leave the station until it’s all over. I worked 

consecutive shifts, evening - night and this morning I went out again in response to rocket falls. There’s no break, we are working 

all the time. I cannot leave. I care about MDA too much. I could resign from MDA and take a different job, but I’m unable to detach 

myself.” 

Do you manage to get any sleep at night? “All the time we receive reports about shooting, rockets being launched, interceptions 

by the “Iron Dome”, shelling, there’s constant noise, always something happening. Even in the middle of the night the sirens wake us 

up and send us running to the bomb shelters, we hear explosions every few seconds.” 

When was the last time you slept the whole night? “I do not remember.” 

How do you reserve your strength? “I talk a lot with my children, and at the station we all encourage one another. We do not 

concern ourselves with ‘what happened’ and ‘what is going to happen’, we just do the job, rushing from one incident to the next one, 

with no time to think. “ 

What will you do when the bombardments will stop, when the threat is removed? “I want to sleep. See my children and then go 

to sleep. “ 


Conflict Journal | Day 5 | 18.11.2012 | Sunday 

00:24 shooting from Syria towards IDF patrols, No casualties. Director- 

General orders to reinforce first responder ambulances in Ramat 

HaGolan. 

05:08 heavy barrage of missiles fired towards southern Israel. Sirens were 

heard many times during the day in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, 

Be’er Tuvia municipality, Yoav municipality, Eshkol municipality, 

Kibbutz Kfar Gaza and more. 

10:12 a direct hit on a residential building in Ashkelon. 2 lightly 

injured, 5 suffering from stress symptoms. 

10:35 a rocket fall in Ashkelon in an open space. No casualties, no 

damage caused. 

12:14 a direct hit of a missile on a car in Ofakim. 5 people injured. 2 

severely- moderately injures, the rest are lightly injured. Among 

the casualties, a 2 years old baby girl and her parents, a man in 

his 50’s and a young man. 

12:20 another barrage of missiles towards Ofakim. A direct hit from a 

rocket on a building in the city. One lightly injured. 

13:00 a barrage of rockets towards Tel Aviv. The Iron Dome system 

successfully intercepts it; a car takes a direct hit by one of 

the fragments and bursts into flames. No physical injuries, 10 

suffering from stress symptoms. 

17:00 MDA Director-General’s assessment. No operational change. 

22:24 following the Director-General’s instructions, armored ambulances 

accompanied with paramedics were stationed in Nachal- Oz and Sufa. 



17

Conflict Journal | Day 6 | 19.11.2012 | Monday 

05:01 Sirens are heard all over the 

south. Over 90 rockets were 

fired towards southern Israel. 

10:15 Siren in Ashkelon: a direct hit 

on an educational institute 

in Ashkelon was detected. No 

casualties, major damage to 

property. 

10:17 MDA Direstor-General orders to 

4 armored ambulances stationed 

near the Gaza strip. 

11:14 Siren in the Eshkol 

municipality: direct hits on 

a public building, a vehicle 

and nearby structures were 

detected. 

12:07 Siren in Be’er Sheva: 5 rockets 

fell in open spaces in the 

city. No casualties and no 

damage caused. 

14:13 Sirens in Jerusalem: a barrage 

of missiles fell close to the 

city. No casualties. 

14:37 MDA Director-General orders 

6 of the northern and center 

regions to dispense vehicles to 

go down south as reinforcement. 

17:46 after heavy barrage of missiles 

fired towards Kiryat Malachi, 

the Director-General orders 

to reinforce MDA teams with 2 

additional MICUs and 3 on-call 

ambulances. 

During the night - Heavy barrage 

of Missiles are fired to Israel. 

During his shift - 

A rocket directly hits Yossi’s home 

Yossi Vaknin has been a volunteer in MDA for 15 years now. He 

is married with four children. In a single brief moment, he has lost 

his home, and nearly lost his family. Yossi is one of the thousands of 

volunteers in MDA’s On-call Unit. Equipped with first aid equipment in 

his private vehicle, MIRS device and Beeper, calling him it to help the 

sick and the wounded and perform shifts as an ambulance driver at 

the Ashkelon station. 

A rocket hit my home while my family was inside 

“On Monday afternoon, the bomb siren began to sound in Ashkelon. 

In a single moment, the MIRS device, and the beeper sounded and 

notified that a rocket fell in the city of Ashkelon. I was away and 

did not leave. The phone rang. My wife was on the line. This time it 

was not a phone call to ask how was I, but rather a frantic shouting 

which I could barely understand. Terrified, she told me, shouting, that 

a rocket hit our home, and that she is inside the bomb shelter with 

our children. For the first time in my life, I felt helpless. As a volunteer 

of MDA, I always been on the side of those who provide assistance, 

but this time I needed others to help me. I contacted the Dispatching 

center and informed them that a rocket has hit my home. I asked 

them to hurry and send help to my family. “ 

The most frightening moments of my life 

“I was away from home and I knew that the ambulances would arrive 

quickly. While driving home quickly, I instructed my 18 years old son, 

who is also a volunteer in MDA, to try to turn off the gas valve, in 

order to prevent a catastrophe. I tried to stay calm and calm down my 

family as much as possible. I acted automatically, but at the back of 

my mind, there were serious concerns: I didn’t care for the money, the 

house or property, but I worried for my family. I reached my home, but 

the security forces would not let me in, for fear of collateral damage. I 

wore the MDA vest and insisted that I should enter. I had to make sure that my family was OK. When I finally got in, I realized that 

my house was completely devastated. The rocket penetrated through the bathroom window and ruined the rooms inside the 

house down to the ground.” 

Fear was unbearable; I did not know whom should I care for first 

“I am a major in the army reserves and I’ve seen unpleasant sight before, but those moments of fear were unbearable, I feared 

for the fate of my family. Had they not complied the instructions of the Home Front Command, there’s no guarantee that they 

would have been saved. The bomb shelter inside the apartment was the thing which saved their lives. All the family members 

are suffering from cuts in the lower limbs. After the injury and the rescue, we were evacuated to a hotel in the city. Since then we 

try to get back to a normal routine, while coping with the many more rocket alarms and falls in the area. We cannot go back to 

our home and we will have to spend a lot of money to repair the damage caused by the rocket.” 

Thank God, they’re still alive 

The night after the rocket hit, Yossi watched his family members while they were sleeping: “I watched them sleeping and I 

woke up the next morning with tears in my eyes. Thank goodness that they are all alive. I realized that we - MDA’s workers and 

volunteers, who usually save lives, are also vulnerable.” 

I’m not broken, I will go on helping 

As a veteran functionary of MDA, who is accustomed to risk his life for others, 

Yossi says that even now, he would let go of everything and rush over to save 

lives, if he knows that there is someone in the area who is in need of medical 

assistance: “That’s the way we, the MDA personnel, are: our spirit is never 

broken, nothing can break us. The mission of saving lives is imprinted within 

our souls. The people of Israel are merciful, and they know how to provide 

support and assistance at any given moment.” Yossi stresses that willingness 

to assist was quickly shown by the immediate family, the MDA family: “All 

employees and volunteers offered to help. The regional directors even offered 

me their homes. MDA is a part of my immediate family, the MDA family forever 

- and I stay with the family.” 


18 


“Pillar of Defense”

The first Rocket on Rishon LeZion 



Despite warnings from military officials and the Home Front Command, no one really believed that the 

rockets barrages which were fired towards the South, would also reach the center, and that a single 

instance, the city of Rishon LeZion would be included in the grim definition: “a city in the line of fire.” On 

the seventh day of operation “Pillar of Defense”, it actually happened. A rocket directly hit a residential 

building in the city, caused injuries to people’s bodies and minds and much destruction. Since then 

the city has changed its face. We heard about the loss of innocence and entering into the danger zone, 

from Lior Altman, Deputy Director of the “Ayalon” region. 

We were prepared, but we didn’t foresee that the rocket would actually reach us 

“According to the instructions, we manned all the ambulances in the region and deployed all the 

teams to allow maximum response in the case of falling rockets. In addition, we equipped all the 

ambulance teams with vests and helmets to ensure and maintain their safety and to prevent them 

from being injured while providing aid at the scene of an incident. At the beginning of each shift, a 

briefing was conducted for all crews, by a senior regional official space, emphasizing the guidelines 

and procedures for emergency situations and exceptional incidents, such as a multi-casualty incident 

and hazardous materials incident. In terms of “drill & practice” we were ready, but yet, when the rocket 

struck, we were all overwhelmed.” 

Suddenly it’s close, very close 

“This is the first incident of its kind in the “Ayalon” region. It was a rocket type which carries a large 

quantity of explosives. Due to the complexity of the incident, we placed much emphasis on the beginning, that is, the first 

few seconds of the first team member on the scene. As all the teams know, in such incidents the initial report, of the first team 

member on the scene, is very important. The teams went out to the various scenes, trained and with a deep understanding of 

what information should be passed on, to the entire system.” 

Many factors work on the scene of incidents where rockets fell in urban area - the rescue unit of the Home Front Command, the 

Israel Police, the Firefighters, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and more. Coordination among the many factors is highly 

important. The most effective means is the personal acquaintance of staff members with their counterparts. This acquaintance 

assisted, even though it was the first incident of its kind, in the administration of the scene in best manner. 

Dense population in cities greatly increases the number of casualties 

There are several large cities in the “Ayalon” region, such as Holon, Bat Yam, Yavne, Rehovot, Gedera, Modi’in, Rishon LeZion, Nes 

Ziona and a large number of additional, communities, villages and smaller towns. “Our constant concern was of a hit in crowded 

areas, with a large number of casualties,” says Lior. “We could not shut down the city and force the civilians to remain inside their 

homes, whereas the Home Front Command instructed us to continue with the daily routine, but that concern was there all the 

time. When the first sirens sounded, we reinforced the teams and hoped for the best. Fortunately, we haven’t suffered many hits, 

but unfortunately, the single rocket which did manage to reach the city, made a direct hit at a residential building, out of which 

we have evacuated four persons who were slightly injured, and several anxiety victims.” 

I trust my personnel 

“The teams performed exceptionally well throughout the operation and in particular during the rocket incident at Rishon. 

Fortunately, the residents adhered to the instructions of the Home Front Command; otherwise, the results would have been 

fatal. The rocket struck the building directly and destroyed the upper three floors.” The teams quickly arrived on the scene and 

began, in cooperation with the Home Front Command and the Firefighters, to search the building and to screen each apartment. 

Many residents were terrified and stayed in the bomb shelters inside their homes. There was a real concern for their lives. The 

Firefighters broke through the locked doors of the apartments and we were happy to find out that no one was hurt”, describes 

Lior. “In the adjacent building, several residents were trapped inside the elevator. The Firefighting team freed them, and when 

they came out of the building, they got scared when they saw all the rescue forces and the damages sustained by the building.” 

Finally, MDA ambulances evacuated a few persons who were wounded and several victims of anxiety to the Assaf HaRofeh 

Hospital and fortunately, the incident ended with that. 

19

20 



Conflict Journal | Day 7 | 20.11.2012 | Thursday 

05:29 Sirens all over the south: heavy barrage 

of missiles fired. 

07:43 Sirens all over the south: heavy barrages 

of missiles fired to all the cities near 

the Gaza Strip. 

08:00 siren in Be’er Sheva: 2 barrages of 16 

Grad rockets are fired to Be’er Sheva, with 

intervals of only a few minutes from one 

to another. 

13:38 Siren in Jerusalem: MDA contacted the 

RC and offered to assist with treating 

Palestinian casualties. Offer was denied. 

15:34 a barrage of missiles fired to the Eshkol 

municipality: IDF soldier, Yossef Partuk 

Z”l is killed. 

16:12 Siren in Ashdod: a report of a direct 

hit on a commercial center in Ashdod. 7 

casualties were treated and evacuated by 

MDA to the “Kaplan” medical center. 

17:32 Siren in the Eshkol municipality: a direct 

hit on a vehicle. One severely injured and 

one Killed. 15 IDF soldiers were lightly 

injured. 

17:41 Siren in Ashkelon: a direct hit in a house. 

A man in his 50s suffering from amputated 

leg is severely wounded. 2 more Israelis 

were lightly injured. 

18:02 stone-throwing incident: Arabs in 

Jerusalem threw stones on an Israeli car. 

An Israeli woman was injured. 

18:35 Sirens in Rishon Leziyon: a direct hit in a 

residential building. 2 lightly injured, 4 

suffering from stress symptoms. Excessive 

damage was caused to the structure. 

20:15 situation evaluation by the Director- 

General - instructions on continued 

preparedness, emphasizing 70 km distance 

shooting, highlights and guidelines in 

case of cease of fire. 

No. of Missiles fired 221 | No. of ambulances. Dispatched 166 | summary of calls in Ayalon, Lachish and Negev regions 640 | No. of casualties 103

This nightmare is our reality 



The story of MDA’s worker, Racheli - a mother of 7 children, who lives in the southern town of Gan Yavne 

When you live under the threat of bomb sirens at any given moment, you learn to appreciate things differently. As the safest 

place, your home, is not safe anymore, everything changes. The simplest daily operations become complicated. For example, 

taking a shower: You cannot just go into the shower. You must prepare everything in advance, not only a towel, but clothes and 

shoes also, ones that you can ware to go outside of the house. You must make sure that there’s an adult present in the house, 

who could take the children into the bomb shelter / refuge / stairwell, if there’s an alarm, and you have to take the shower quickly 

(there’s a positive aspect to this: it saves water). We, as adults, can handle it. For the children it is almost impossible. They are 

afraid to take a shower, they are afraid to go to sleep, they are afraid to go out to the yard. Who can blame them for that? 

We do not go out of the house unless it’s absolutely necessary, because we must stay within 45 seconds away from a sheltered 

area. When we ran out of milk, we drank tea. They say it’s healthier anyway. During the 8 days of the operation, the house became 

almost empty. When we ran out of diapers, we had no choice, so I went out to the supermarket. Twice the alarm caught us by 

surprise while we were shopping. Customers, cashiers, bystanders, all dropped everything and ran to the sheltered area. TWICE. 

On several occasions, the alarm sounded while one of the children was taking a shower. It is a feeling which is hard to describe. 

In 45 seconds, you must bring the child to safety, without stressing him or causing him anxiety. A two year old infant you can 

wrap with a towel and go down to the bomb shelter, but what about the 11 year old girl? 

We do not sleep well. We are always alert, being prepared. We sleep with our clothes on, ready to jump from our beds and run 

down to the bomb shelter if necessary, and lately, this is what actually happens several times during the night. 

We are the parents of 7 children, 4 of them sleep inside the bomb shelter. It’s tearing us up from the inside, each time we 

have to decide who get to sleep inside the bomb shelter and who doesn’t. 

Others have no bomb shelters in their homes, and when hear a siren they 

run to the public bomb shelter or to the stairwell, within 15 to 45 seconds 

only. Now, imagine the parents in their Pajamas, running with sleepy children, 

some being carried on their hands, while the rest of them are trailing behind, 

horrified. Imagine a baby ill with the flu, being snatched out of the warm 

cradle and being carried out to the bomb shelter. Imagine a single mother 

with her small children or a wife whose husband has been called for army 

reserves service, leaving her responsible for their children. Think of the elderly 

and the disabled, about the helplessness, the distress and fear. Does it sound 

to you like a nightmare? Well, this nightmare is our reality. 

As someone who works at MDA’s Operational Center, I am exposed to these 

hardships every day, while having my own share of such fear and helplessness: 

Every day I have to leave my frightened children at home and go to work. The 

commute from my home to the station is about 15 minutes, through open 

areas, so that if an alarm sounds, I have nowhere to hide. Unfortunately, there 

was a case where I heard an alarm on the way back home after I finished my 

shift, I looked at the roadside and couldn’t find a sheltered area. I carefully 

stopped the vehicle on the side of the road, well aware of the fact that I’m 

still in my MDA uniform and therefore I’m representing the Organization. I 

reminded the people who stopped next to me, to lie on the ground and 

protect their heads with their hands. We saw the interceptions of “Iron Dome” 

above us and we heard the explosions. We hoped we would not get hurt. We 

were lucky. Others were not so lucky. I personally know some fellow workers 

whom while they were on their way to the MDA station, a rocket landed 

just a few yards away from them. 

I will never forget the day when a rocket directly hit a building in Kiryat 

Malachi; the explosion claimed the lives of 3 people and injuring many others, 

including infants and children. I saw on TV the building and dozens of my 

friends, MDA personnel in the field, wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, 

their faces reflecting what was happening in the scene, and then I received a 

text message: “the alarm sounded in Kiryat Malachi.” and another one and yet 

another one. A heavy barrage of rockets was fired at Kiryat Malachi and our 

fellows were vulnerable out there. Where could they take shelter? I saw them 

prostrate on the ground. I felt the helplessness of my fellow workers at the 

Operational Center of - the sense of responsibility and helplessness, knowing 

that they have sent a team to the line of fire and that they cannot do anything 

but to transmit the same announcement repeatedly: “Take Cover”... 

Although these memories will accompany us for many years, today, a week 

after the operation has ended, although we do not feel quite safe, but for 

the first time in a long while, the children sleep in their beds, and it was a 

wonderful feeling. 

21

22 



From Switzerland into the middle of an inferno 

The say that people in Tel Aviv are living in a bubble and do not really understand the grief of the southern residents, who 

have to cope every day with rockets barrages, mortar shells fire and ongoing threat. The incidents during operation “Pillar of 

Defense” completely changed the rules of the game, without any warning: the so called “Tel Aviv Bubble” has burst. For the 

first time since the Gulf War in the nineties, the residents of Tel Aviv were forced to flee for their lives because of the danger of 

missile attack. Three missile barrages were fired at Gush Dan, where most of the missiles fell in open areas, or were intercepted 

successfully by the “Iron Dome” battery. The people of Tel Aviv thought that they were “easily” out of harm’s way, but others 

had other plans for them. If it was so difficult for the residents of Tel Aviv, for the residents of tranquil Switzerland it would 

have been intolerable. 

A bomb, a terrorist attack, caution 

Lital Boleg is a young woman who lives in Switzerland. She studies psychology at the University of Zurich. She postponed 

the first semester of the academic year and decided to come to Israel and volunteer in MDA for two months. She heard 

about MDA from her classmate in Zurich, Tali Edjelbaum, who joined the volunteers last year and nowadays she studies at 

the Interdisciplinary Center of Herzliya. Lital took the first aid course along with about 30 additional volunteers from various 

countries, in MDA’s foreign volunteers program, and she was assigned as a medic to MDA Tel Aviv. On Wednesday, during the 

morning shift, Lital was a member of the response team which handled the terrorist attack on a bus in central Tel Aviv. “As we 

were coming out of the hospital, after the evacuation of a patient, we received a call. Although my Hebrew has improved a 

lot over the last month and a half I spent in MDA, it is not my mother tongue. Usually I can understand and talk freely with the 

team. This time I really could not understand what they were saying on the radio transmitter. The dispatcher spoke quickly 

and emotionally. But looking at the worried face of the driver was enough for me to understand that something was very 

wrong. The driver told us there had been a terrorist attack on a bus. I did not know how to react. We drove to the scene as 

quickly as possible. When we arrived on the scene, all we saw was turmoil and much tension. Many people running in every 

direction, the wounded lying on the road, police officers, security guards, soldiers and MDA teams, all shouting different 

things in Hebrew. Unfortunately, I could not understand them. Here and there, I managed to recognize random words I know: 

“Pzaza”, “Pigu’a”, “Zehirut”, “Titrachaku” “Kanir’eh She’yesh Mit’an Nosaf” [Translator’s remark: “Bomb”, “Terrorist attack”, “Caution”, 

“Stay away”, “It looks like there’s another bomb”]. I did not know what to do, I just saw the exploded bus, parts of which were 

scattered on the ground and shards of broken glass were scattered everywhere.” 

Operating automatically 

“After the initial moments of shock, I immediately recovered. We took all the equipment out of the ambulance and began to 

provide the wounded with medical treatment. Our patient suffered a hand injury and had shards of glass in his head. We took 

him to the ambulance, where we Dispatchingled his bleeding and quickly evacuated him to the hospital. I sat in the back 

seat of the ambulance and I could not stop shaking, I felt the adrenaline rush going through my body. Only after the end of 

the incident, I realized what had actually happened. Just a few moments ago, I was standing at the point where an explosion 

occurred. It was scary but at the same time, it was very touching. Until that day, I heard about such incidents in the news, but 

I never encountered such a case. To be here, in Israel, and to feel such fear that a completely different experience than I have 

ever known. I’m glad I could be there to help; there’s no doubt in my mind that I would be willing to do it again.” 

In the terrorist bombing of the bus at King Saul Boulevard in Tel Aviv, 17 people were injured, among whom, 

1 was moderately to seriously injured, 3 moderately injured, 7 slightly injured and 6 suffered from anxiety.

Conflict Journal | Day 8 | 21.11.2012 | Wednesday 



05:56 during the morning, the fire to the southern 

communities continued. 

06:48 Siren in Be’er Tuvia: a direct hit on a house. No 

casualties, but damage to property. 

09:30 possible terrorist filtration in the Kibbutz 

Grupit, Arava section. MDA teams are not allowed 

to enter the area. 

11:12 a report from the IDF is received: there was no 

terrorist filtration, back to routine. 

13:12 a terrorist bombing attack in Tel- Aviv: bus 

explosion. 17 Israelis were injured. Many people 

suffering from stress symptoms were at the scene. 

20:00 Israel declares a cease fire. At the same time, 

there are sirens in Be’er Sheva, Ashdod and other 

communities in the south. Heavy barrages of 

missiles were fired towards these cities. 

20:12 2 explosions were heard next to Metula. The head 

of the Operations division ordered that Metula 

and Kiryat Shmona elevate the level of alertness 

to level C. 

20:30 Siren in Be’er Sheva: a barrage of missiles fired 

towards Be’er Sheva. A rocket fell in an open 


22:50 sirens in Netivot and Ashkelon. Barrage of 

missiles were fired towards the cities. A direct 

hit on a building was detected. No casualties. 

22:00 MDA Director-General’s assessment: orders to go 

back to routine, with high alertness. 


23

24 



They come over to encourage and to be encouraged 

Satisfaction Level Poll 

In a poll conducted by the Home Front Command during 

operation “Pillar of Defense”, concerning the public’s 

confidence in MDA’s ability to cope with a situation of 

war and missiles attack, MDA received high scores: 

Over six million citizens of Israel and its leaders rely on the strength of MDA’s workers 

and volunteers during daily routine and in times of emergency, knowing that they can 

turn to the MDA personnel for comfort, medical care, help and support. During the eight 

days of operation “Pillar of Defense,” Israel’s time 

of hardship, MDA’s workers and volunteers were 

required to be at the peak of their resilience to 

provide assistance to the residents of Israel, from 

North to South. 

Since most of MDA’s personnel located 

around the Gaza Strip, and their families 

alike, were under the threat of rocket attacks, 

this task was difficult and complicated, and 

required of them to demonstrate composure, 

professionalism and leadership. This supreme 

effort of the Organization was primarily 

appreciated by the residents and also by the 

high ranking government officials and elected 

representatives, who came to MDA’s stations 

in the line of fire, to talk with teams, to see the 

scenes of the incidents with their own eyes and 

mainly to express gratitude for the effort and 

ingenuity. 

The list of visitors and greeters included, among 

others: the Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, 

the Minister of Interior, Rabbi Eli Yishai, Rabbi 

Aryeh Deri, one of the leaders of the “Shas” party, 

Knesset Member Othniel Schneller, Knesset 

Member Shaul Mofaz, Knesset Member Dr. 

Rachel Adato, Mrs. Tzipi Livni, Chairperson of 

“HaTnu’a” party, businessmen Mr. Rami Levy 

and Mr. Eitan Yochananof, Mayors of southern 

municipalities and more. Everyone received 

a special briefing on MDA’s activities during 

the operation. They all elaborately praised the 

capabilities of the Organization, its personnel 

and its Director: “You help us maintain the 

national strength and the continued operation 

of the IDF,” said the Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuval 

Steinitz, at the end of the visit. 

םיפוגה לש םתלוכי לע ךמוס התא הדימ וזיאב 

רועיש( 

א" 

דמ - םיליט תליפנו המחלמ םע דדומתהל 

20.11.2012 ) תויבויחה תוירוגטקב םיבישמה 

90 90 

87 

89 89 

86 86 

עבש ראב 

דודשא 

ןולקשא 

ביבא לת 

Beersheba Ashdod Ashkelon Tel Aviv

Behind Scenes - 

Divisions’ Activity 

Division of Organization and Administration 

• Enlistment of 60 functionaries from the Army Reserve Unit, 

in accordance with the qualifications which were required 

by the South Regions. 

• Coordination with IDF for the release from army service of 

75 employees who were drafted under “Decree No. 8”, and 

additional 18 employees who were on their prescheduled 

army reserve active service. 

• A call center was established, for the evacuation of families. 

Information was provided to the families of the employees 

and 28 families of employees were evacuated from the 

South region. 

• Activity of arranging dorms for children. 

• An instruction was issued to cancel all leaves of absence. 

• All Regions were required to submit a daily personnel report 

and to enter the emergency task codes. 

• Treatment of issues related to stress and anxiety. 

Finance 

• Listing of the activity throughout MDA during the Operation, 

in order to submit requests for funds to various factors, 

such as Government Authorities, the Red Cross, Friends 

Associations. 

• Accommodating families of employees who live in the war 

zone, in hotel at peaceful areas. In addition, taking care of 

food supply for the teams on the field. 

• Extra financing was provided to the Regions, to cover the 

current needs. 

Office of coordination with the Red Cross 

• Humanitarian activity, around the clock. 

• Tours with the ICRC personnel on sites where innocent 

civilians innocent were injured, in order to submit reports to 

the Red Cross. 

• Rescue of the Turkish ICRC personnel who were staying in 

Gaza, in coordination with the IDF and the Palestinians. 

Medicine Division 

• Reaffirming the professional guidelines for the teams and 

training the recruits of the Army Reserve Unit concerning the 

treatment of trauma victims in specific scenarios resulting 

from the emergency situation. 

• Review and approval of specific professional activity by 

individual volunteering physicians and paramedics - in 

accordance with their level of professional training. 

• Initial response for team members who are victims of anxiety, 

or those who are in need of “encouragement and mental 

support” within the framework of the First Responders 

Project. 

“HADAS” - Training and Information Division 

• Submitting messages and updates to the friends associations 

during the operation. 

• Adding thousands of recipients to MDA’s email updates. 

• Establishment of an international information and 

promotional center. 

• Providing information to, and attending interviews with, the 

international media. 

• Tours in the attacked areas with personas and representatives 

of the international media. 

• Fundraising campaign, in cooperation with the associations 

and friends of MDA in Israel. 

• Conducting instruction sessions inside shelters in the South. 

• Conducting a fundraising campaign on the web. 

• Online guidance and first aid training on the web and in the 

social media. 

Spokesperson 

• Presence in the field throughout the operation, 

documentation and distribution of images, video footage 

and information to the public and the media in Israel and 

around the world. 

• Real-time delivery of information concerning the treatment 

of casualties, joining communication personnel to the MDA 

teams out in the field. 

• Delivery of essential information concerning ways of contact 

with MDA, basic guidelines on maintaining public safety 

when during missile attacks, and call to the general public to 

come and donate blood. 

The Blood Services 

• Training and operating IDF collectors of blood donations. 

• Through a concentrated effort, more than 6,600 blood units 

donations were collected, 20% more than on daily routine. 

• Moving to work inside bomb shelters. 

• Reports were provided twice a day to MDA’s management, 

the IDF, and the Emergency Division in the Ministry of 

Health. The reports included information about donations 

collecting and about the MDA and National blood reserves. 

Logistics Division 



• Ensuring the integrity of the emergency equipment and 

inventory levels in the warehouses and in the Division’s 

departments. 

• Functionality test of all the Organization’s rescue vehicles and 

maintaining their functionality and availability throughout 

the operation. 

• Functionality test of all stations, bomb shelters, emergency 

Dispatching centers, generators and other means in all of 

MDA’s stations and facilities. 

• Activity reinforcement of the cleaning workers, providing 

quick services, support and repair of malfunctions for the 

relevant Regions. 

• Continuous and daily distribution of supply and means 

to the teams and the reserve unit personnel in the South 

Regions. 

• Reinforcing of the Regions with vehicles from the emergency 

storage, quickly receiving and utilizing new vehicles. 

• Support of the departments in the process of moving the 

Dispatching centers to the emergency centers and handling 

the malfunctions promptly. 

25

26 



The Knesset 

M.K. Dr. Rachel Adatto 

Jerusalem, 11 Kislev, 5733 

November 25, 2012 

Dear Eli, 

Today, with the end of the battle, while the smoke of “Pillar 

of Defense” clears away (for now), I wish to express my full 

appreciation to you and to the wonderful organization of which 

you are the head. 

After spending several hours with you and with your troops during 

the operation, it is important to me to point out how impressed I 

was by your full Dispatching of the professional aspect and by your 

personal and warm attitude (such as those fresh braided loaves of 

“Khallos” on Friday…) and mainly by the professionalism and high 

motivation of all the workers and volunteers whom I have met. 

I hope we would all go back to our daily routine, but, since we are 

veterans of many battles, it is clear that this is not the end. It’s good 

to know that MDA constitutes a significant part of the home front’s 

defense and security, both in peace and in war times. 

Amicably and with appreciation, 

M.K. Dr. Rachel Adatto 

To My Honored Friend, 

Mr Eli Bin 

Director-General, MDA 

Shalom, 

I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to you and to all 

those who played a part in the Pillar of Defense Operation. 

Your work is worthy of every possible praise. You showed 

commitment, devotion and humanity. Beyond the quality medical 

treatment you provided to the injured and hospitalized, this also 

contributed much to the national feeling of security, stability and 

“yes, we can rely on them”. 

Please accept my appreciation and congratulations on your 

enlistment at such an uncertain time - carrying patients to 

protected areas, providing solutions for a population in crisis, 

treatment for children and for the wider public. This is not an easy 

task at all and you performed it to perfection. 

You worked to consistently high standards around the clock and 

you deserve full recognition for helping the entire health system 

to function efficiently during the complex operation. 

Let us hope that the peace and quiet will last. 

Thank you for your activities and your action and may the work of 

your organization continue to be blessed. 

Yours sincerely, 

Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, MK 

Deputy Minister of Health

Leader of the Opposition MK Shaul Mofaz 

11th Kislev 5773 25th November 2012 To: Eli Bin Director General Magen David Adom in Israel Tel Aviv 

My Dear Eli, 

Re: My visit to the MDA Sderot station 

I would like to express my deep appreciation and to thank you 

for the important visit to the MDA Sderot station which enabled 

me to meet up and see closely for myself the work of the rescue 

workers and to get to know in a small way the wonderful people, 

workers and volunteers, who stand behind the organization. I 

especially enjoyed meeting the people and I was impressed by 

them, their professionalism, their dedication to their work, their 

high values and high motivation in saving lives. 

The visit to the station, was of the utmost importance to me. I 

was very impressed by the activities of the Sderot station, the 

tremendous readiness, the high state of alert, the dedication, the 

sacrifice and the efficient and swift care given to each and every 

call. I am absolutely certain that these activities demonstrate 

also the activities of all the other branches of MDA all over the 

country and its value is priceless. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the MDA 

teams for your wonderful work both in normal periods and also 

in times of emergency and especially during Operation “Pillar 

of Defense”, and for your activities around the clock with total 

dedication to saving lives. 

I support you fully and wish you many more years of fruitful work. 

In appreciation and thanks, 

Shaul Mofaz 

.1 1 - 27/11/2012 - - I-2012-4199-02660 

ג"עשת ולסכ א"י 

5105 רבמבונ 52 

1 

הכרעה “Pillar of יבתכמ Defense” 

היציזופואה שאר בשוי 

זפומ לואש כ"ח 

תורדשב א"דמ ףינסב רוקיב :ןודנה 

דובכל 

ןיב ילא ג"מר 

יללכה להנמה 

לארשיב 

םודא דוד ןגמ 

ביבא לת 

,בר םולש רקיה ילא 

שוגפל יל רשפאש תורדשב א"דמ ףינסב 

בושחה רוקיבה לע םכל תודוהלו הברה יתכרעה תא עיבהל ינוצרב 

םידמועש ,םיבדנתמו םידבוע , םיאלפומה םישנאה תא טעמ ריכהלו הלצהה תוחוכ תדובע תא בורקמ 

ילעב 

,םתדובעל םירוסמ ,םייעוצקמ ,םתויהמ 

יתמשרתהו םישנאה תא שוגפל דחוימב יתינהנ . הירוחאמ 

. םייח תלצהל ההובג היצביטומו םיכרע 

תוכרעיהה , תורדשב ףינסה לש ותוליעפמ 

תובר יתמשרתה . רתויב בושח ירובע היה 

,ףינסב רוקיבה 

ךומס יננה . האירקו האירק לכב ריהמהו ליעיה לופיטהו 

הברקהה ,תוריסמה ,הובגה תוננוכה , הבחרה 

. זפב אלוסי אל הכרעו ץראה יבחר לכב א"דמ יפינס ראש לש םתוליעפ לע םג הדיעמ וז תוליעפש חוטבו 

תותעב 

ןהו הרגש תותעב ןה האלפומה םכתדובע לע א"דמ יתווצלו ךל תודוהלו וז תונמדזה לצנל הצור ינא 

To 

Mr Eli Bin 

Director-General, MDA 

.םייח תלצהל 

שפנ תוריסמב ןועשל ביבסמ םתלעפ .'ןנע דומע' עצבמב 

דחוימבו םוריח 

.היירופ היישע לש תובר םינש דוע םכל לחאמו םכידי תא קזחמ ינא 

, הדותבו הרקוהב 

זפומ לואש 

Shalom Rav, 

We want to express our great appreciation and gratitude to all MDA 

personnel for your selfless activity – much of which was performed at 

great self-sacrifice and personal risk – during the “Pillar of Defense” 

Operation. 

Throughout the operation, you proved once again that Israel can rely on 

you. You went out and did your job in the field under constant threat of 

missiles. You arrived promptly at every fall and you responded quickly 

to civilian calls. Your dedicated teams supplied treatment and support 

with remarkable professionalism, devotion, humanity and care. 

There is no question that MDA’s professional and efficient functioning 

– not to mention its lifesaving and damage-reducing achievements – 

contributed much to the residents’ feeling of security and to national 

stability. 

Your actions during the operation were an embodiment of MDA’s 

celebrated tradition of dedication, determination and total commitment 

to the cause. 

Please communicate our deep appreciation and thanks to every single 

member of MDA’s wonderful team. 

And a special acknowledgement to Prof. Eilat Shinar and the Blood 

Services for their impressive work, both in enlisting blood units and in 

smoothly transferring the blood banks at Tel HaShomer and Haifa to 

sheltered surroundings. 

Yours sincerely, 

Ministry of Health 

Prof. Ronni Gamzu Dr. Boaz Lev 


27

28 



The people who run the show 

The workers and volunteers in MDA’s Dispatching Centers - the link between the wounded 

and the rescue team 

During an operation “Pillar of Defense”, MDA’s Dispatching Centers operated in emergency 

mode and at the highest alert level. Being those who consolidate all the information 

and guide the rescue teams to the scenes of the incidents, the men and women 

of the Dispatching Centers must demonstrate extraordinary composure, alertness, 

resourcefulness, concentration and self-Dispatching. 

These aforementioned qualities are required daily, during routine incidents, but they are 

much more prominent during mass casualty incidents. 

During mass casualty incidents, the Dispatching Center operates under a designated 

protocol, and the personnel on duty are required to provide an immediate response for 

a large number of casualties, to dispatch and guide the teams to handle the incident, to 

maintain contact with other security forces, all within a very short time, and also continue 

to provide a response to routine calls. During incidents where missiles fall, the task is much 

more difficult whereas the employees are forced to handle a large number of scenes 

and there is a real concern that more missiles would be launched while the teams are 

providing medical care to the wounded on the site. 

Work in the various Dispatching Center is intensive throughout the year, and all the more 

during emergency incidents such as “Pillar of Defense.” Following is brief and superficial 

description, which might be able to demonstrate the atmosphere during those eight days 

of fighting: 

MDA’s Operations Center is where it all happens. We are automatically informed by 

military officials on every rocket launch towards Israel. Before the operation has begun, it 

happened almost every day, and in some cases - several times a day. Since the beginning 

of the operation, it happens every few minutes. Hundreds of rockets are launched at us 

every day. Hundreds of bombs. Each single time such an incident occurs there are many operations which need to be performed 

at the same time, so there are teamwork and defined roles: the announcer at the station enters the bomb shelter, to deliver 

messages on the radio, to send text messages and pager calls to the teams, to report to the directors on the MIRS channel and 

more. 

When the rocket barrages at a certain area are intensified, the pressure on the personnel at the Dispatching Center is high, and 

then, for a split second, there’s silence. Everyone is waiting anxiously to the phone call and the report of casualties, praying these 

phones calls would not come. But they always do. 

Sometimes we get reports from the military officials about a rocket landing in an open area or in the sea or about a successful 

interception performed by the “Iron Dome”, but sometimes we receive reports about direct hits in houses, or about rockets 

landing in a particular area in the South. So, of course, we dispatch ambulances according to the information we received. 

Briefly, we can say that every day we receive at the Dispatching Center emergency calls from civilians over the 101 lines and 

dispatch ambulances accordingly. These days, in addition to the emergency calls, we receive distress calls from people who do 

not know what to do: Many parents call us and ask what to do with their child who, since the sirens began sounding, is crying 

and trembling, and refusing to leave the bomb shelter, to eat and drink. A husband whose wife was giving birth, is calling us to 

ask if it is safe to move her to a hospital, he fears that the alarm would surprise them while on their way... He was about to take his 

wife to the Center, but then, rockets were fired over there also.. A bilateral amputee is calling to ask what to do because he simply 

can’t make it to the stairwell quickly enough ... A woman who urgently requires antibiotics for her ill son, is afraid to go to the 

pharmacy, and there are many more. The painful 

Operations Division 

• Coordination of activities at all MDA’s departments in order to for 

them to work in cooperation and full coordination. 

• Participation in situation assessments at different levels (IDF, Ministry 

of Health, the Israel Police, etc.). 

• Performing periodic situation reviews, as required. 

• Monitoring the implementation, by the various officials in the 

Organization, of the instructions which were issued by the CEO / 

Operations Division,. 

• Sending representatives to the various war rooms. 

• Placing an official on duty in the Integrated National Dispatching 

Center. 

• Operating the operational documentation unit. 

• Distribution of operational instruction to the field level according to 

developments. 

• Preparation of deployment orders for the various descriptors and 

scenarios. 

stories continue to flow and we don’t always have 

answers for them all. We try to be compassionate, 

to sympathize and refer the callers to the correct 

places. Although if, during the phone conversation, 

the alarm sounds, we just have to apologize and 

end the call. 

One day we were asked to transfer, from the Erez 

checkpoint to an Israeli hospital, a woman who had 

been injured during an IDF shelling in Gaza. The 

transfer was performed in the same professional and 

dignified manner in which transfers are provided to 

ordinary patients, both by the Dispatching Center 

and by the personnel on the field - the ambulance 

driver and the paramedic. This has been the 

manner of Magen David Adom in Israel, ever since 

its establishment.

Front Page Photo: Scene of a missile attack in Ashdod 

Editor’s note: 

Due to multiple incidents per day, we have mentioned here only the incidents which seemed to the editor as most 

significant. For obvious reasons, some of the mentioned hours and locations are not accurate and are for illustration 

purposes only. In any case, this document should NOT be considered as an operational log, but rather only as a partial 

reference to some of the incidents. 

Correspondents: 

Inbal Rauchberger | Rachel Ikar Cohen | Training and Information Division | MDA Spokesperson. 

Photographers: 

MDA Spokesperson | Asi Debilensky | Gadi Kabalo 

Operational Documentation Unit: Itzik Levy | Assaf Brezinger Lugassi | Moyshale Guttmann | Or Mani | Shlomi Gabai | 

Meir Zargirian | Eliran Avital | 

Omar Sharan | Joel Blenitzki | Hussein El’obra | Shlomi Mizrahi | Levites Neumark | George Ginsberg | Midan Ben Yoash 

Graphic Design: 

Itsuvit Studio 

© All rights reserved Magen David Adom 

We bow our heads in memory of 

Mira Sharf RIP 

Aaron Smdga RIP 

Itzik Amsalem RIP 

Boris Yarmolnik RIP 

Yossef Partok RIP 

Elian Al Nabari RIP 

םודא דוד ןגמל תורומש תויוכזה לכ C

"After the bomb falls, the personnel of Magen David arrive and the rescue the 

wounded," says Nathaniel Sabag, an 8 years old boy from Ashdod, who, together 

with his family, has made an “Aliyah” from France to Israel. He expressed his feelings 

during the operation, in a drawing. 

Magen David Adom in Israel 

60 Yigal Allon St. Tel Aviv | 03.630.0222 | www.mdais.org

Pillar of Defense

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