An emotional encounter took place at Mossad headquarters, when incoming Mossad chief Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman met during his inauguration ceremony with Moshe Weitzman and Elyashiv Mizrahi.
The two medics from United Hatzalah provided life-saving medical treatment to Gofman and evacuated him under fire on the morning of October 7.
The meeting was held as a gesture of gratitude, after Gofman and the Prime Minister’s Office invited the medics to take part in the official ceremony.
On the morning of October 7, as sirens sounded across southern Israel, Weitzman and Mizrahi headed toward the combat zones with the aim of saving lives. At around 08:30, near the Bror Chayil junction, a civilian vehicle signaled Weitzman to stop.
Inside the vehicle lay Gofman, then serving as a brigadier general and commander of the Tze’elim base, suffering from severe gunshot wounds sustained during fighting with terrorists who infiltrated the area.
Weitzman placed the wounded Gofman into the ambulance and began an urgent evacuation to the medical center, while maintaining continuous contact in an effort to keep him conscious.
Mizrahi later joined the evacuation after completing the transport of other casualties in his private vehicle to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. Together, the two medics fought for Gofman’s life throughout the evacuation, until they handed him over to hospital medical teams.
Weitzman reflected after the ceremony, saying: “In those moments in the ambulance, I did not know I was treating someone who would one day lead one of the most sensitive and important organizations in Israel. We saw a wounded fighter on the road, a heroic commander who spoke with us the entire way, and we had one mission: to keep him conscious and save his life. Who could have imagined he would one day become head of the Mossad? Standing here today at Mossad headquarters and seeing him assume leadership is a closing of a circle that is impossible to describe."
Mizrahi added after the meeting: “That morning, after evacuating wounded people in my private vehicle to Barzilai, I heard Moshe’s call on the radio and did not hesitate for a moment. I joined him on the road to fight together for the life of Maj. Gen. Gofman and ensure he remained with us throughout the journey. Standing today at Mossad headquarters and seeing the same wounded soldier from the ambulance receiving the key to the nation’s security is an extraordinarily moving moment, a powerful closing of a circle, and a living reminder of the strength of mutual responsibility and life-saving in Israel."