As families across Israel prepared to usher in the holiday of Purim and read Megillat Esther, the ancient biblical text recounting the attempted annihilation of the Jewish people in Persia, sirens once again pierced the twilight sky over Israel. The story of our people felt less like distant history and more like a living reminder that the hatred and threats we have faced for generations have not disappeared. They continue to manifest in modern form, aimed at the destruction of the Jewish state.
Day Three of Operation Roaring Lion was again marked by continued Iranian missile barrages targeting civilian population centers. Israelis awoke for a third consecutive morning to alerts warning of incoming ballistic missile attacks. Today, the area most severely impacted was Beersheba. Residents were evacuated by United Hatzalah volunteers, and their wounds, both physical and psychological, were treated by dedicated medics and members of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit.
Loud explosions and falling shrapnel were reported across large portions of the country, including areas near Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem corridor, and southern communities.
Today, we also saw the addition of missile fire from the Hezbollah in the northern region of Israel. Residence in Haifa and the Galilee sought shelter in safe rooms and miklatim. Israeli defensive systems intercepted many of the incoming missiles, but the all too familiar sounds and sites caused trauma to many.
For United Hatzalah’s 8,100 volunteers, these days underscore the critical necessity of relentless service.
Between February 28 and March 2, United Hatzalah responders:
- Fielded 5,542 regular emergency calls nationwide
- Mobilized 1,250 volunteers directly to missile impact zones
- Deployed 260 emergency vehicles, including ambulances and ambucycles
- Treated 117 individuals injured in missile attacks
- Provided psychological stabilization and anxiety care to 280 people suffering trauma following the barrages
These figures represent far more than operational data. They reflect thousands of moments in which volunteers left their own families and ran toward danger while others sought shelter.
In Beersheba, medics navigated debris and unstable structures to reach the wounded. United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit worked tirelessly to calm children, parents, and elderly residents shaken by repeated alarms.
Purim tells the story of survival in the face of a clear and present danger. It recounts how a decree of destruction was overturned through courage, unity, and faith. On Day Three of Operation Roaring Lion, that same spirit was visible not only in our hearts, but on the streets of Israel.
United Hatzalah volunteers remain deployed at strategic staging areas across the country, prepared for immediate dispatch as sirens continue to sound intermittently. Despite the intensity of the situation, response times have been maintained, coordination between units has remained seamless, and patient care has continued without interruption.
Inspired by our national history and enduring resilience, United Hatzalah remains on duty, prepared for every call, delivering care with urgency and compassion. History may repeat its threats, but so too does it repeat our strength, our unity, and our unwavering commitment to protect our homeland and nation.
