A man in his 50s who participated in a far-left protest at Tel Aviv's Habima Square collapsed Saturday night after suffering cardiac arrest in a bomb shelter shortly after an air raid siren sounded.
Civilians in the shelter responded quickly and began performing basic resuscitation under telephone guidance from Magen David Adom’s (MDA) 101 emergency call center until medical teams arrived.
MDA medics and paramedics were rapidly dispatched to the scene, together with MDA volunteer Prof. Kobi Shaham, who serves as head of the cardiac intensive care unit at Ichilov Hospital.
The teams carried out advanced resuscitation efforts, including chest compressions, ventilation, and multiple defibrillator shocks. After intensive efforts, the man’s heart resumed beating, and he was evacuated in serious but stable condition to Ichilov Hospital for further treatment.
MDA paramedic Muhammad Saeed said, “Just minutes after the sirens ended, we received a report of a man lying unconscious on the ground. We arrived and continued advanced resuscitation efforts together with the defibrillator, and his heart resumed beating."
Prof. Kobi Shaham, who arrived at the scene with a rapid response vehicle, added: “We fought for his life and succeeded in restoring his heartbeat. He was evacuated to the hospital in serious but stable condition."