On Saturday evening, Magen David Adom emergency responders were dispatched across multiple scenes of destruction when two missile strikes hit southern Israel within hours of each other, injuring more than 100 people.
Responders described scenes of rubble, smoke, shattered glass, and residents caught in the open while rushing to shelters.
The first strike hit the city of Dimona where MDA teams were met with widespread damage across several buildings. EMTs and paramedics treated and transported 31 patients to Soroka University Medical Center, one in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and 29 with mild injuries, along with 23 others treated for anxiety.
“We encountered extensive destruction in Dimona,” recalled senior EMT Shai Binyamin and EMT Gadot Vaknin. “There were people trapped and calling for help in several buildings while Home Front Command forces were working to rescue them. We heard cries for help from inside damaged homes, and people in the street told us that elderly residents lived there. Near a public shelter, we saw several patients, including a man around 30 years old suffering from head injuries and another patient with minor shrapnel injuries. We provided medical treatment, including bleeding control and bandaging, and transported them to Soroka Hospital in stable condition.”
The second and more destructive strike was in the nearby city of Arad. MDA deployed reinforcements from multiple regions to respond to what responders described as a scene of extensive chaos and damage. MDA teams treated and transported 84 patients to Soroka Hospital: 10 in serious condition, 19 moderate, and 55 mild, with four additional people treated for anxiety.
“It was a chaotic scene,” said senior EMT Saar Shachori, who responded to the Arad strike. “I saw extensive destruction in several buildings, with thick black smoke rising from multiple locations. Together with MDA teams, we began searching for patients and established a treatment point near the scene where we provided initial medical care. We called out using a megaphone for patients to come. Those requiring additional care were transported to the hospital by MDA ambulances and mobile intensive care units. Through the rubble, I identified four patients, including a four-year-old girl in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and two children in mild condition. They were frightened and called for help. I ran to them, helped them out of the rubble, provided lifesaving treatment, and brought them to the hospital.”
Combined, the two strikes left 115 people hospitalized, 11 seriously, 20 in moderate condition, and 84 with mild injuries, with another 27 treated for anxiety at both scenes.
Soroka Hospital received an emergency supply of 90 units of blood and blood components from MDA Blood Services.
To date, MDA EMTs and paramedics have provided medical treatment to 1,831 people, including 1,503 with physical injuries and 328 suffering from anxiety symptoms. Three people were killed and 461 people were injured by missile fire while 1,039 people were injured while on their way to protected areas.
Watch a medic’s report from Arad:
