Family meets hero MDA team
Family meets hero MDA teamMDA spokesperson

The team of Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics who provided first aid treatment to Asher Elmaliach, the security guard stabbed in the heart during a terror attack at Jerusalem's central bus station earlier this month, visited Elmaliach's family at Shaare Zedek Medical Center Tuesday.

Elmaliach has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) since the attack, during which a 24-year-old resident of the Palestinian Authority residing illegally in Jerusalem approached an entrance of the central bus station in Jerusalem and stabbed Elmaliach in the heart before fleeing the scene. The terrorist was caught and arrested shortly thereafter.

Officials at Shaare Zedek Medical Center described Elmaliach’s survival as a “Hanukkah miracle”, stating that if the ambulance carrying Elmaliach had been delayed by even several minutes, he would not have survived.

Batsheva Asayag, a Magen David Adom paramedic who provided primary medical care at the scene, paramedic Hananel Albo, and the driver of the intensive care mobile car, senior medic Rivka Or, met with the family during an emotional reunion at the hospital.

Batsheva, who is performing her national service by volunteering with the MDA, was the first paramedic to arrive at the scene to provide life-saving treatment to Elmaliach until the MDA team arrived.

Hananel Albo, the senior medic who arrived at the scene and continued the treatment said: "After the initial treatment we gave Asher, we evacuated him quickly to the hospital, and I was glad to hear that his treatment was progressing and that he was feeling better."

Hananel, who was himself stabbed in the attack 12 years ago, is familiar with the importance of the rapid arrival of MDA teams. "Today I am part of MDA to dedicate my life to saving lives."

"As a paramedic in the intensive care unit of the MDA, Rivka Or, told the family: "When I arrived at the scene and saw his condition, I understood that the most important thing for him at the moment was to get to the operating room. I asked people who were around to help us get out of the area as quickly as possible. During the treatment, we took him to an intensive care unit and simply flew to the hospital, so that within 9 minutes of the stabbing we were already in the hospital. When we were in the trauma center I held his hand. He asked me to help him and it was hard to release his hand."

The exciting meeting
The exciting meetingPhoto: Magen David Adom spokesperson

Asher's family was very excited about the meeting, and they spoke to Batsheva about the attack and the moments following the stabbing, when Batsheva began to provide emergency medical care.

"We have so much thanks to all who supported us during these two weeks, and to the MDA team that acted quickly. Thanks to you, Asher is alive," the family said.