Magen David Adom reflects the diversity, resilience, and shared responsibility of Israeli society
Israel, April 20, 2026 – As Israel marks its 78th independence day, (Yom Ha’atzmaut), amid a fragile ceasefire, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national EMS organization and one of the country’s most diverse workforces, is highlighting the role of its over 39,000 staff and volunteers in providing lifesaving medical care across every community in Israel and serving on the front lines throughout Operation Roaring Lion. Bringing together Jewish, Arab, Druze, and Bedouin Israelis, alongside religious and secular communities, new immigrants, and native-born citizens, MDA operated throughout the war with Iran under sustained national emergency conditions, responding to mass-casualty incidents, treating the injured, and maintaining nationwide readiness.
Today, MDA operates 211 stations across Israel, supported by thousands of ambulances, intensive care units, and rapid response vehicles. Its workforce and volunteer base reflect the full spectrum of Israeli society, with volunteers ranging in age from 14 to 92 and contributing more than 6.3 million volunteer hours annually.
“Growing up in Nazareth as an Arab-Christian, I joined Magen David Adom as a teenager and it opened my eyes to what it means to work across communities,” said Yasmeen Mazzawi, an MDA volunteer paramedic who was honored with lighting a torch at Israel’s 72nd Independence Day Ceremony in 2020. “MDA is a great example of the beauty of Israel. Throughout my service over the last decade, I have met Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, people from every background, and I learned that beyond everything else, we are all human beings trying to save lives. Arabs and Jews work side by side in the same ambulances, in the same calls, under the same pressure, and what connects us is values, not labels. We are different and that is the beauty of it – it is like a mosaic where each person brings something unique. And especially in times like these, that unity is not just important, it is essential.”
In recent months, MDA’s resilience has been on full display. During Operation “Roaring Lion,” MDA raised its alert level to the highest possible status, placing approximately 38,000 volunteers and staff on full readiness. At peak deployment, MDA operated around 2,000 ambulances and intensive care units, 800 emergency medicycles, and 700 rapid response vehicles. Teams were deployed nationwide, often arriving first on scene and providing immediate medical care under emergency conditions, treating 2,503 casualties.
Founded in 1930, MDA has grown alongside the State of Israel into the national EMS system, serving as a cornerstone of national resilience through wars and security crises, terror attacks and mass-casualty events, large-scale immigration waves, public health emergencies including COVID-19, and tens of millions of medical emergencies nationwide.
In addition to its emergency response role, MDA provides critical lifesaving care across everyday and extraordinary moments, including 15,446 pregnancies transported last year, with 1,014 babies delivered by MDA teams in ambulances and at home, and 263,945 blood units collected for hospitals and the Israel Defense Forces.
Across the past year, MDA teams were dispatched 1,383,026 times -an average of one emergency response every 22.8 seconds. The national 101 emergency hotline received a call every 7.3 seconds, with average response times of approximately 2 seconds.
“On Yom Ha’atzmaut, we are reminded that Israel’s strength lies not only in its ability to defend itself, but in its commitment to care for every life,” said Eli Bin, MDA Director General. “Our volunteers embody that commitment every day, a diverse society coming together with a shared sense of responsibility and purpose.”
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About Magen David Adom
MDA is Israel’s emergency services system. A leader in mass-casualty response and in EMS technology, Magen David Adom treats and transports more than 1 million people to hospitals every year; collects, safety tests, and distributes nearly all the blood to Israel’s hospitals; and, through its affiliation with the Red Cross movement, responds to disasters around the world. For more information, visit afmda.org
