The Call We Never Expected

We answer calls all the time. But there are those calls you never expect and will never forget.

A few weeks ago, the phone rang. It wasn’t from the United Hatzalah Dispatch Center. It wasn’t even for an emergency.  It was from an unknown number and had a very unfamiliar tone.

It was very different from the regular frantic calls we are all too used to. This call was formal and almost surreal.

The call came from the Prime Minister’s Office.

They were calling with an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Director of the Mossad Roman Gofman.

In that moment we were transported back to the events of October 7^th.

That morning began like so many others, and yet nothing about that day would remain like any other day of our lives.

As the nation was engulfed by wailing sirens and booming rockets, I was making my way south. I had no idea what I was about to encounter, I just knew I would be needed somewhere.

The ‘somewhere’, I was soon to discover was by a small junction in southern Israel. The Bror Hayil Junction, outside of Sderot. While driving the ambulance a civilian flagged me down. In those first moments, I felt uncertainty, even fear. I had no idea who I was stopping for or who I was about to get out to help. All I knew was that I was there to help.

I got out of the ambulance and a soldier stepped towards me and said there was a wounded officer inside his car.

Sure enough I found a soldier in uniform lying in the back seat bleeding heavily. From the markings on his shirt I could tell he was a senior officer. He was shot in the leg by Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the area that morning. The officer was pale, sweating and fading quickly. But he was conscious.

When I approached the car, he introduced himself as Roman. Just Roman. No fancy titles, ranks or positions. None of that mattered at that moment.

All I saw was a severely wounded fighter who needed my help.

And that is exactly what I did. I got to work right away to control the bleeding. I told him to keep talking to me.

I lifted him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. First the bleeding had to be controlled before we could go anywhere. I knew that every second counted. Omnce I got the tourniquet on and the bleeding was controlled, somewhat, we were off.

Throughout the way I kept repeating, don’t stop talking. I knew that if he stopped, I would have to stop and start resuscitation.

Somewhere along the way came a familiar voice over the radio. It was from Elishiv Mizrachi.

He was also busy that day transporting wounded civilians in his private vehicle to Barzilai Medical Center. On one of his trips he heard my call over the radio requesting assistance and did not hesitate to answer. We arranged to meet on the side of the road somewhere and he hopped into the ambulance and joined the efforts to keep Roman alive.

After a while, we finally reached the hospital. And just like that, we handed Roman over to the hospital staff and we went onto our next emergency.

That day there were plenty of emergencies.

We never saw Roman again, until this week.

Standing there together at the entrance to Mossad headquarters, we remembered that day and thought to ourselves: Who would have dreamed that the person who laid on our stretcher, bleeding, would one day become the Director of the Mossad.

As we walked in, we saw someone turn to Roman Gofman and say ‘Do you know who they are? They are the ones who rescued you.’

There was a pause. A second glance. And then a flooding of emotion. Recognition. Gratitude. Even disbelief.

We shook his hand.

The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached us, thanking each of us personally.

While the ceremony and the speeches were nice, the quiet realization that this man could have died in our ambulance is the thought that defined this moment for us.

Instead, thankfully, he stood in front of us alive and well and now entrusted with the security of the State of Israel.

As first responders we often don’t have closure. Most often, we don’t know what happens to the patient once we hand them over to the hospital medical staff. We don’t get updates from the patient as to how the ordeal ended; for better or worse.

We have one job to do, to provide the best emergency medical care and help save a life.

But in this case, we have followed the news of Roman Gofman. While we haven’t met since October 7, 2023, we followed the news as he was tapped to be Military Secretary to the Prime Minister in May 2025, after recovering from his wounds. We watched as it was announced he would head the Mossad. And now, to be standing here today is an immense honor and a true miracle.