Itamar Ben-Gal and his wife, Miriam
Itamar Ben-Gal and his wife, MiriamCourtesy of the family

The widow of an Israeli rabbi murdered in a stabbing attack earlier this year has been charged for the emergency ambulance evacuation of her husband following the fatal attack.

In February, a 19-year-old Arab terrorist stabbed 29-year-old Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal at a bus stop in the city of Ariel in Samaria.

Ben-Gal, an eighth grade teacher and a father of four, was evacuated to Beilinson Medical Center in Petah Tikva, only to be declared dead shortly after his arrival.

Miriam Ben-Gal, Itamar’s widow, received a painful reminder of her loss recently, when she received a bill from MDA for the ambulance evacuation.

The bill was issued despite a policy exempting from payment those admitted for treatment at a hospital.

In the case of Itamar Ben-Gal, however, since his death was declared upon his arrival at Beilinson, he was not recorded as a patient of the hospital, prompting MDA to issue a charge to his widow.

“Nine and a half months after my sister buried her husband, my sister received a letter from MDA demanding that she pay for his evacuation to Beilinson,” said Emunah Ki-Tov, Miriam Ben-Gal’s sister.

“A woman in mourning, alone in her home one evening, opens a letter from MDA demanding payment because they checked and found that the health insurance doesn’t cover ambulance rides that don’t end in hospitalization.”

After Arutz Sheva reached out to MDA for comment the bill was cancelled, and a statement apologizing for the accidental charge issued.

“This was a case of human error made with good intentions, despite the fact that for such [hospital] visits no payment is necessary, of course. We apologize to the family for the distress.”