Dispatch teams gave hotline callers life-saving medical treatment advice over the phone on October 7. One such woman told children where to hide from terrorists.
When Linoy El-Ezra arrived for her morning shift that Saturday at the MDA dispatch center, she immediately felt as if she had entered a battlefield.
“The first call I took was from someone who shouted: ‘Terrorists!’ I heard screams and gunshots, and then the call cut off. I tried calling back, but there was no answer.”
That was when she realized they were dealing with a much bigger and more serious situation than anything they’d seen before. Linoy noticed that her colleagues around her were all receiving very similar calls, with endless barrages of rocket fire in the background. Everyone was on high alert.
And then came another call. On the other side of the line was a small voice: Michael, nine years old, had called to ask for help.
He told Linoy that the terrorists had shot his father and mother. Linoy tried to understand if it was possible to save the parents, asking Michael to talk to them. Michael called: “Abba? Ima?” but there was no answer.
At Linoy’s request, he described their wounds. She realized she had to do everything she could to save the child. She instructed him to lock the house door and enter the safe room. “And then I heard him say: ‘Amalia, come!’”
