Touching reunion with attack victim
Touching reunion with attack victimMDA Spokesperson

A month after the horrific stabbing attack in Rosh HaAyin during which Rafael Levy was seriously injured, the wounded man met Eyal Atia, an MDA paramedic who was first on the scene and saved his life. Levy says, "Being here is a miracle – there's nothing else I can say."

Levy was stabbed in the central Israel city of Rosh HaAyin by an Arab terrorist. He was left lying in a pool of blood in critical condition. After making a last-ditch attempt to get help and managing to crawl to the entrance of the building, the first person he encountered was MDA paramedic, Eyal Atia, who administered emergency treatment, saving Rafael's life. This week they met for the first time since the attack.

Atia arrived at Levy's house and was surprised to see that he'd made a fast recovery and was out of imminent danger thanks to the prompt treatment. For his part, Levy found it difficult to hide his emotions and thanked the medic who had fought valiantly to save his life.

Recalling the ordeal on the day of the incident, Atia said: "On Saturday afternoon, I received a call on the MDA app about a seriously injured man from a stab wound. We did not know we were dealing with a terror attack. When I arrived at the scene, I saw a 30-year-old man with stab wounds all over his body who needed urgent medical care. I stopped the bleeding and he remained conscious, could barely speak and recalled what had taken place. I only understood that he had climbed down the stairs using his last bits of strength, and managed to alert the secretary and call for help. He was in critical condition—very pale and weak."

"I was very touched to meet Raphael again in happier circumstances this time. I was very excited to see that he's had a speedy recovery," says the medic. At first, we were sure he had a slim chance of making it out alive. "He recovered and had a child born a few days ago. He is getting stronger and starting to look great." "The fact that you are standing in front of me now is a miracle in its own right," he added.

Recounting the moments of utter horror just a month removed, Levy told his friend: "You saved me and the fact that I am here today is pure miracle - I have no other word. One great miracle. The encounter was very touching and I was hard-pressed not to let out a tear up. It was both painful and touching to meet the person who saved me. You get really emotional in a meeting like this, and I'd just like to extend a heartfelt "thank you" to Eyal and MDA, I appreciate them and realize that something like this can't be taken for granted. You did everything to keep me alive and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."