“The sanctity of humanity is the top priority for Magen David Adom,” Israel’s emergency service, Aryeh Myers emphasized in exclusive comments to PJ Media.
MDA senior paramedic and liaison Aryeh Myers has spoken with PJ Media before about the horrors of the Oct. 7 massacre, how MDA brings together Israelis of all religious and ethnic backgrounds to provide care in life-and-death crises, and a new medical center in war-pounded northern Israel. All of this work is particularly important to highlight as Hamas reportedly ignited a new clash with ceasefire violations. From the blood bank to the human milk bank, from premature babies to wounded veterans, MDA is committed to saving, preserving, and treasuring “every human life” (learn more about MDA’s work here).
⭕️ In response to the violation of the ceasefire agreement, in which 8 terrorists were identified exiting the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah, the IDF and ISA have struck 4 commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 31, 2026
Nor does MDA limit its work to Israel, Myers told me. “In the past we’ve sent rescue teams to other parts of world, to Haiti, to the Philippines, to Turkey, to Ukraine, all sorts of different parts of the world when they’ve had — whether it’s natural disasters, whether it’s war situations — where they needed extra assistance.”
As he noted, “unfortunately, here in Israel, we have a lot of experience with mass casualty situations, with very, very complex issues, and having that — the skills, the knowledge, the experience, is something that we want to share.” That means everything from sending teams overseas to helping train people in other countries to assisting with rescues or providing emergency medical services otherwise unavailable in an affected area. “We do that sometimes under in our role as a humanitarian organization, as well as a life-saving organization,” Myers added.
Myers also highlighted the operation to bring home the body of the last hostage remaining in Gaza, which Hamas did not turn over despite the ceasefire terms. This operation illustrated “the efforts and the lengths that the state of Israel will go to and the importance that it attaches to every human life,” Myers said.
He is proud that, “despite the fact that we knew [Ran Gvili] wasn’t alive, there was the importance of bringing him back to Israel [which] was extraordinary. And that’s part of of the reality of living in Israel, is that we attach such importance to human life. It means that people will go out of their way to help.” It bears a very striking contrast to the attitude of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which always use their own people as human shields.
Ran Gvili is home for a dignified burial. 843 days held hostage by Hamas.
All 255 Israeli hostages, abducted by the terrorist organization Hamas since 2014, are now home.
We in Israel can start to recover, to heal and to rebuild what was taken from us.
May Ran’s memory be a… pic.twitter.com/o9cc6MhvD4
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 28, 2026
Related: Exclusive: On War-Pounded Border, Israeli Emergency Services and Samaritan’s Purse Build New Station
When it came to bringing Gvili home, Myers continued, “The nation as a whole came together really in …a very special way… even though we were bringing back a body, we knew we weren’t bringing back a life. But the the sanctity of life, the sanctity of humanity is the top priority for Magen David Adom. That obviously means that we will do everything we possibly can to make sure we can protect lives.”
There are multiple ways MDA works to prepare for and ameliorate crises, Myers explained, “whether that’s [through] the ambulance service or … the intensive care units and the paramedics and the EMTs, whether that’s through the blood services that we provide” or even the “national human milk bank.”
Since some babies are born prematurely and cannot process baby formula, MDA is dedicated to ensuring that these “babies in intensive care units are able to be provided …with breast milk.”
Myers concluded, “So literally from the tiniest babies through saving lives on the streets in any way we can, and being prepared for anything that might happen, whether that is extra training, whether that is extra drills, whether that is extra emergency vehicles and equipment,” MDA is saving lives every day.
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