United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Hadas Rucham was in her shelter at home during the Iranian attack on Israel when her emergency communications device suddenly alerted her to a critical situation: a child had collapsed and lost consciousness in a nearby home’s safe room.

Rucham immediately rushed out, arriving on the scene in under two minutes. She quickly identified that the child had no pulse and wasn’t breathing and began CPR. She was quickly joined by Seraya Miletzki, another United Hatzalah volunteer EMT. 

Working with urgent precision, the pair began resuscitation efforts, administering chest compressions and using a defibrillator to deliver an electrical shock. Thanks to the EMTs’ efforts, the child’s heartbeat was restored, and he was transported to the hospital in stable condition for further care.

Several months later, in a deeply emotional reunion, the child and his parents met with Rucham and the other United Hatzalah volunteers who had been instrumental in saving his life.

“Thank you very much to the United Hatzalah medics from the Lev HaShomron branch for all of their extensive activity,” the child’s parents told the medics, their gratitude palpable.

“It was an incredible feeling to save a life, especially during that fraught moment in Israel,” reflected Rucham.

Shmuel Agassi, head of United Hatzalah’s Lev HaShomron branch and a participant in the resuscitation efforts, said: “Our emergency responders are defined by their remarkable speed and professional expertise, capable of responding within seconds to critical emergencies in Samaria’s communities. This incident once again demonstrated that every second counts—and can mean the difference between life and death.