United Hatzalah holds Hanukkah ceremony for hostage EMT

On Saturday night, over 150 United Hatzalah volunteers came together for a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony to bring attention to the ongoing captivity of United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Dolev Yehud, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7. 

The volunteers converged in a convoy of ambulances and ambucycles at the organization’s headquarters in Jerusalem. 

A giant menorah was lit and prayers were said for Dolev's safety along with pleas for his immediate return. His family attended the ceremony.

Dolev Yehud's heroism on Oct. 7

Dolev was with his family in their saferoom in Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s attack and left the room to assist those who were injured. Hamas terrorists captured and kidnapped him along with his sister Arbel and her partner Ariel; they have all been held in captivity in Gaza ever since.

Chana Lavi, Dolev and Arbel’s grandmother, expressed the family's anguish, stating: "65 days ago, Dolev went out to save lives and never came back. This is not how I envisioned Hanukkah; this is not how I envisioned the moving moment of candle lighting. We demand their immediate return. Every day that passes seals their fate."

Dani Shmuel, head of the Gaza Periphery Branch at United Hatzalah, reflected on Yehud's commitment, saying, "Just before October 7, we awarded Dolev with the Prize of Excellence for his commitment to saving lives. He would respond to calls day and night, at all hours, constantly putting others' needs above his own.

"On October 7, he went out to save lives and did not return," Shmuel said. "When I tried to reach him over the radio on that Shabbat and he didn’t respond, I was confident that it was because he was busy treating the injured. Dolev, if you can hear me, know that we all miss you, and we anxiously await your safe return."

CEO of United Hatzalah Eli Pollak urged the Red Cross to fulfill its responsibility as a medical organization, stating that, "In addition to the fact that Dolev was kidnapped and your duty is to care for all of the hostages’ welfare, he is also a volunteer medic, and you have a special obligation towards him.” 

Pollak also called on the Red Cross to visit Dolev, provide him with necessary medical attention, and extend care to all hostages remaining in Hamas captivity. 

Highlighting Dolev's selfless dedication to helping others during his volunteer work, Pollak stated, “We all wish, pray, and hope that Dolev and all of the hostages will return home quickly, and we will have the privilege to light candles with them this Hanukkah.”