The head of Magen David Adom UK has said he has been “changed forever” by meeting ambulance dispatchers from October 7 during a solidarity trip to Israel.

Daniel Burger, who was part of a mixed-faith, international group, recounted how he met a dispatcher who was the last person to speak to MDA paramedic Amit Mann, who was murdered when Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Be’eri.

Amit, who lived on the kibbutz, was killed  while she was trying to save someone’s life in the clinic, and the MDA dispatcher was on the line with her.

Amit Mann, an MDA paramedic, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 while treating the injured on Kibbutz Be'eri (Photo: MDA)

Burger told the JC: “It was very hard to hear about that. You know the kind of encounter you don’t forget, and for the dispatcher that call was life changing.

“They were on the phone with Amit as she tried to fight to save people. They told us she was telling them: ‘It is getting worse. The terrorists are getting closer.’ She told us how she just said to Amit over the phone: ‘I am here. I am with you.’”

Burger added: “What MDA staff saw up close and dealt with on 7/10 is nothing like I have heard before. Hearing the stories of various MDA lifesavers who came under fire changes you forever.”

Daniel Burger, head of MDA UK (right) during a visit to Israel (Photo: MDA UK)

“We have always run these kinds of trips, but nothing prepares you for this. We got a real impression of the sense of duty that people in Israel have, especially MDA volunteers. They ran into the line of fire to help.”

He said the group were also stunned by the way dispatchers sent medical teams to treat victims and the perpetrators of October 7. “Just hearing about the way they didn’t distinguish during the attack is something else.”

The group also met the hostage families and heard “harrowing” stories about loved ones being kidnapped. Burger said: “The mental health toll on people in Israel can’t be underestimated.”

The trip also included meetings with First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum and the acting Deputy British Ambassador to Israel Helen Fazey. They also met Agent G, the director of psychology for Mossad, who is the lead hostage negotiator.