News Brief

A new Magen David Adom emergency medical station opened in Sderot.

The facility was dedicated Monday, just days after a Kassam rocket hit a Sderot kindergarten only seconds after the children were evacuated.

The station, built by American Friends of Magen David Adom, replaces a makeshift building more than 30 years old that recently was condemned for structural problems.

The new Sderot station combines a large ambulance bay area with a dispatch facility, offices and multiple rooms for crews to rest during shifts. Much of the building is protected against rocket attacks, allowing crews to easily move to safety when hearing an alert that a rocket has been launched.

“We are excited that we can open such a grand and impressive facility, yet we are saddened by the knowledge that at least in the near future, it will be called upon to treat the wounded from the surrounding areas,” Israeli Health Minister Yaacov Ben-Yitzri said. “When we see the work of these paramedics, we see examples of excellence where despite the situation and the dangers, they always perform remarkably.”