A seven-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when he fell from the fourth floor of a residential building in the city of Ashdod this afternoon (Monday).
Medics and paramedics from Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah provided the child with medical treatment at the scene before evacuating him to Assuta Medical Center with multi-systemic injuries.
MDA EMT Dodo Hanuna said: "When we arrived at the scene, we saw the boy unconscious after falling from a height of several meters. We immediately gave him advanced medical treatment on the ground that included setting the bones and medication, put him in the intensive care unit and quickly evacuated him to the hospital while he was in serious condition."
It appears that the child fell after the glass partition of a balcony was removed to allow for the entry of building materials in preparation for a planned renovation of the apartment.
According to the 'Beterem' child safety organization, 22 children have died as a result of a fall in the last five years in Israel. 59% of cases occurred in or around the family home.
Orly Silvinger, director of Beterem, said: "Children are curious and unpredictable, so it is our job as adults to make sure that the home environment allows them a safe space. I call on parents, don't say 'it won't happen to me' - make sure that the windows of the house are protected with raised bars or a means to prevent windows from opening more than 10 cm. On the balcony, the children must be actively supervised and away from the windows and railings of furniture that can be climbed on such as a chair or table. It's in our hands to prevent the next case."