United Hatzalah workers exhibited heroism during the October 7 terrorist attack, according to Eli Beer, founder and president of the emergency medical services organization.Netta Yehud was supposed to receive an award for heroism in the name of his brother, Dolev Yehud, who was killed on October 7, Beer said Monday at the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York, but he returned to Israel when the IDF said his brother’s body had been identified.Dolev Yehud displayed heroism during the terrorist attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, Beer said. Eight of the organization’s volunteers had been killed, and one was kidnapped and subjected to brutal assault, he said.Beer said the decision to deploy helicopters despite bureaucratic obstacles was taken to save critically wounded victims.“This is our obligation as people to fight for others without bureaucracy,” he said.Beer expressed gratitude for the crucial role of international support in sustaining United Hatzalah’s operations and said it is a lifeline for Israel’s resilience in times of crisis.“If it wasn’t for our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, Israel would never survive” he said.
The volunteers’ heroism epitomized the unyielding spirit of Israeli volunteers in the face of adversity, Beer said.