19-Year-Old Saved 13 People on October 7

Stand for Israel  |  December 13, 2023

The Fellowship is so proud to partner with United Hatzalah—Israel’s largest all volunteer emergency medical service providing first-response services throughout the country. We are especially proud when we hear of heroic stories of volunteers saving lives, like Yonatan Rachamim’s story.

Rachamim’s a 19-year-old student who risked his life to save 13 people during the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, reports The Jerusalem Post:

Rachamim scanned the local Hatzalah channel on his phone, which reported that war had broken out, and advised Hatzalah members to go to the local volunteer headquarters to get their helmets and protective vests. Rachamim went to the center, picked up his gear, and when another siren began to sound, dashed into a bomb shelter.

“There was a direct hit on Kiryat Gat,” he recalls. “I didn’t think twice, and I ran to the location where the rocket had landed. “An 80-year-old man emerged from the building covered with soot, suffering from shrapnel wounds. An ambulance from Hatzalah arrived. The driver said, ‘I am taking him to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. Do you want to come with me?’”

Rachamim jumped into the ambulance and, together with another paramedic in the ambulance, treated the injured man as they headed towards the hospital. The young medic was stunned by what he saw when they arrived…

Read the full story here.