Minutes old, seeking refuge in human shelter
A paramedic team from Magen David Adom (MDA) delivered a baby in the back of an ambulance on Sunday evening, moments before receiving an alert of a missile launch from Iran toward southern Israel.
Sheltered in Elad Pas’s arms
The 23-year-old woman went into active labour while being evacuated by an MDA Mobile Intensive Care Unit near the Nevatim Interchange. As the ambulance raced toward the hospital, the team successfully delivered the baby inside the vehicle. Seconds after the newborn’s first cry, the medics’ phones sounded an alert warning of an incoming missile.
MDA paramedic Elad Pas, who was part of the intensive care crew, immediately ordered the driver to pull over in a safe area at the side of the road. The team donned helmets and protective vests, and moved quickly to shield the mother, her escort, and the newborn. Pas held the baby in his arms and used his own body as a shield until the danger had passed.
Once the siren stopped and the immediate threat was over, the crew resumed the journey, transporting the mother and baby to hospital in good condition.
MDA said the incident underscored the organisation’s commitment to continuing life-saving operations under security threats and in complex, rapidly changing conditions, “at all times and in every place.”
