Next battle ‘only a matter of time’
MAGEN David Adom (MDA) is preparing itself for a further escalation of violence in Israel over the coming years, according to the organisation’s director general Eli Bin, the keynote speaker at an MDA Victoria community breakfast last Wednesday.
MAGEN David Adom (MDA) is preparing itself for a further escalation of violence in Israel over the coming years, according to the organisation’s director general Eli Bin.
Delivering the keynote address at an MDA Victoria community breakfast on Wednesday as part of a short visit to Melbourne, Bin told the audience, “We face many challenges in the upcoming years.
“Israeli security officials estimate that the next battle with Gaza is only a matter of time, that Hamas has recovered its capabilities since Operation Protective Edge two years ago, and has even developed new methods to try and harm Israeli civilians,” Bin, who spoke in Hebrew, said.
“In the northern border, Hezbollah threatens the residents of Israel with tens of thousands of missiles and rockets, and on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights there is regular fighting between Syrian rebel forces and ISIS and al-Qaeda.
“With these challenges in mind, MDA is preparing for the next escalation, which according to the assessments will be different from what we have seen before. We are increasing the quantity of our ambulances, and purchasing protective equipment and devices for our staff,” he explained.
Bin emphasised that MDA is continually improving itself via new technologies and training, and is considered to be “a leading organisation in this field on an international level”. He thanked the Australian community for its support.
“All of us together are partners in saving lives in Israel, every single day,” he said.
The second speaker at the event was Megan Bernitz, a young Australian MDA volunteer who was caught up in the Sarona Market terror attack in Tel Aviv on June 8.
She was sitting just metres from the terrorist inside a Max Brenner cafe, when she saw a gun and heard shots fired.
Bernitz initially fled the scene but returned soon after. “I felt like I was running for the very last time,” she recalled. “But then I put on my MDA uniform, and after that, I was not a victim. I was an MDA first responder.”
Returning to the Sarona Market, she broke through the police tape to reach the victims, and administered lifesaving treatment to Assaf Bar.
Bar, who had been shot twice in the head, survived, and was released from hospital two weeks later.
“A lot of miracles happened that day,” Bernitz said.
For more information or to donate, go to www.magendavidadom.org.au.
PHOEBE ROTH
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