
Israeli Coronavirus Patients Wait Hours in Ambulances as Hospitals Fill Up
First responder teams are sent to hospitals only to be turned away once they arrive, or are blocked from entering by security guards
Magen David Adom is the State of Israel’s sole aid and disaster relief organization and was founded in 1930 in response to injuries inflicted on the Jewish population of Palestine during the riots of 1929.
Today, Magen David Adom operates according to the standards of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and was officially granted membership to the organization in 2006.
The Magen David Adom charter defines the organization's objectives as providing medical service for the Israel Defense Forces in time of war, supplying general first aid services, maintaining blood storage services, providing transportation for patients and the evacuation of victims of road accidents.
The organization was founded by physicians, members of the pre-state military, and citizens and in the early years of Magen David Adom’s creation, the organization was faced with limited resources and limited numbers of volunteers. During World War II, Magen David Adom operated in the Jewish Legion of the British Forces and began training Hanagah fighters and providing first aid throughout the 1930s and 1940s in pre-state Palestine. With the creation of the State of Israel, the organization also assisted in establishing the IDF medical corps.
In 1950, the Knesset ratified the Magen David Adom Law, designating the organization as Israel’s National Red Cross Society. Magen David Adom has since played a major role in providing lifesaving services during times of war, terrorist attacks, and for accidents and emergencies in peacetime.
The organization is also supported through a network of Magen David Adom societies in the Diaspora. Donations from supporters such as the American Friends of Magen David Adom enable the organization to purchase ambulances and lifesaving equipment.
First responder teams are sent to hospitals only to be turned away once they arrive, or are blocked from entering by security guards
Ashdod residents have expressed anger that warning signs against swimming in artificial lake are often ignored
Soldiers at the site shot the assailant, who later died, according to Border Police
The Health Ministry’s cumbersome testing system takes far too long to deliver results
Last week some 9,000 people a day were tested, but only 5,000 underwent tests on Sunday due to lack of chemicals needed to perform the tests
Defense Ministry leads drive for relatively crude devices that help in extreme situations, can be produced quickly
Millions of lab tests go through Israel’s healthcare system every year – but coronavirus is subject to a labyrinthine process that makes costly mistakes almost inevitable
The use of antibodies in plasma is well-established to treat other viruses, and has been used in China against the coronavirus, but its effectiveness has not yet been proven
COVID-19 is likely spreading in East Jerusalem but residents are afraid of testing because of stigma ■ Red Crescent employees not yet authorized to take samples
Probe opened into cause of the blaze that killed the one-year-old ■ 13 people who suffered from smoke inhalation, including 8 children, rescued from burning building
Israeli army says suspect drove toward soldiers as they were walking down the street and fled ■ One soldier in serious condition, 11 others lightly injured
Medical records obtained by Haaretz show 16-year-old lay in large pool of blood for half an hour after he tried stabbing an Israeli police officer, paramedics only detected 'spontaneous breathing' while in ambulance
The children, aged three and five, were rescued from the burning apartment but were later pronounced dead; two adults and four more children aged two were wounded
Asher Hazut laid to rest in Be'er Sheva a day after he and family members were injured in freak beach accident
Two of the victims had no pulse and were not breathing when an emergency medical crew arrived at the Zikim beach south of Ashkelon
Three others stabbed to death within two days in separate incidents across the country
Defense and medical officials say the army would have difficulties evacuating the wounded in a multi-front war and would face a serious shortage of doctors
Police suspect murder and have arrested two suspects who lived with the man in the apartment where the incident took place
Police conclude that the tree fell due to the strong winds in Eilat; a third worker was wounded too, but sustained minor injuries only
Initial police investigation suggests that the incident was of a criminal nature
The assailants ran over the soldiers while they were stopped at the side of the road near the exit of a settlement, the Israel Defense Forces says ■ Hamas, Islamic Jihad condemn killing of Palestinian suspects
Police opened an investigation into the incident, which occurred in Jerusalem, and detained four people for questioning
More than 50 people were injured and three were trapped in the wreckage; one person was seriously injured and eight others suffered moderate injuries on the West Bank highway near Beit Horon
In a 13 percent increase, 582 transplants were performed last year. 258 of the transplants were from live donors
The bus driver and a passenger suffered minor injuries resulting from flying shards of glass ■ IDF says forces are searching the area for a suspect
The hackers were able to obtain information about patients and other sensitive information after the Magen David Adom site was hacked
According to Magen David Adom, the wounded were evacuated to local hospitals
The driver refused to take a test to determine his blood alcohol levels, blaming wet road conditions for causing the accident
10 others trapped workers were rescued from the tunnel; four of them sustained minor to moderate injuries, authorities say ■ Police to investigate the incident with an investigator from the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry
American Friends of Magen David Adom says decision to move gala event from Mar-a-Lago in Florida was reached ‘after considerable deliberation’