On the morning of October 7, police officer Rami Cohen rushed to the Sderot police station after hearing loud gunfire.
Outside the station he saw a dead woman sprawled inside a car. He cautiously checked inside the car and found two little girls hiding under a blanket. The older girl apprehensively asked if he was “one of us,” if he was from Israel. The woman who Cohen had seen lying dead was their mother. Cohen reassured the girls and helped rescue and evacuate them. Then, he remained at the scene.
There was active gunfire all around and Cohen began crawling on the ground to avoid being shot. Unfortunately, he was hit by three bullets in the chest and abdomen while trying to reach safety.
At the same time, Magen David Adom paramedic Alisa Krant was on duty in a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) in Ashkelon. Krant spent the harrowing day at one of MDA’s “connection points” in the Gaza envelope treating and evacuating injured people along with senior EMT Itay Amar.
Cohen was rescued quickly and transferred to Krant’s MICU where she and her team performed emergency lifesaving treatments, greatly improving his condition. Cohen arrived at the hospital in serious but stable condition where he immediately went to the trauma room and underwent further treatment.
“When Rami was brought to us for help, his condition was really bad. After we stabilized him, I held his hand and we talked,” Krant recalled. “He told me about the girls in the car and I told him that just as he helped them, now was my chance to help him.”
“When I first saw Alisa with her white uniform and blue helmet, I imagined a blue and white angel. To me, her uniform looked like the flag of the State of Israel,” Cohen mused. “God sent her and her team to fight for me and keep me alive.”
Throughout his recovery, Cohen maintained a close relationship with Krant. They recently reunited at Cohen’s home in Sderot along with Cohen’s wife and Amar to talk about the difficult events they experienced together. Cohen expressed his appreciation to Krant for her determination and professionalism.
“I’m so happy Alisa is here, and I can host her in my home,” said Cohen. Krant presented Cohen with a small book of psalms to support his rehabilitation.
“I’m happy that Rami is recovering, wearing his uniform, and going back to work,” said Krant. “Our connection is a privilege. The first thing I did when I was released from army reserve duty in Gaza was check in on Rami. Even before I went home to my family, I visited him, to see him, and to draw strength from him.”
