United Hatzalah

United Hatzalah is an Israeli nonprofit emergency medical services organization that uses trained volunteer first responders, rapid-response vehicles, and GPS-enabled dispatching to provide immediate care before conventional ambulances arrive. Its name means “united rescue,” reflecting the organization’s formation through the consolidation of several local Hatzalah groups. The organization was established nationally in 2006 after the Second Lebanon War, under the leadership of Eli Beer, who had identified urban traffic and narrow streets as major causes of delay in emergency medical response. The organization’s central proposition is to shorten the interval between the onset of a medical emergency and the arrival of a trained responder. Calls are routed from a national command center in Jerusalem to nearby volunteers using location, qualifications, mobility, and equipment data. Volunteers may travel in private cars, organizational emergency vehicles, motorcycles known as ambucycles, e-bikes, all-terrain vehicles, boats, or other locally suitable transport. The system is intended to stabilize patients while traditional ambulance services, hospitals, fire services, police, search-and-rescue teams, or the Israel Defense Forces are mobilized. United Hatzalah provides its services without charge and says it serves people regardless of religion, ethnicity, nationality, or social background. Its volunteer network includes Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, religious, and secular responders. The organization is also notable within the broader Hatzalah movement because women and non-Jewish volunteers participate in its national operation. By 2023, published descriptions stated that the organization had approximately 8,000 volunteer medics, around 1,000 ambucycles, and more than 750,000 responses during that year. Reported response averages are under three minutes nationwide and approximately 90 seconds in metropolitan areas, although exact performance depends on location, call type, and conditions. Its LifeCompass dispatch platform was developed in 2008 and later expanded into a second-generation command-and-control system connected to standard smartphones issued to volunteers. Members can receive alerts through the organization’s direct emergency number, 1221, and through information coordinated with national ambulance services. United Hatzalah therefore operates alongside, rather than as a replacement for, Israel’s formal ambulance and emergency-response infrastructure. Beyond routine EMS work, the organization undertakes mass-casualty, psychological first-aid, humanitarian, and international disaster-response missions. It created medical support sites and treated injured civilians and military personnel following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and during the subsequent Gaza war. It has also sent teams or supplies to Haiti, Nepal, the United States, Turkey, Morocco, Moldova, and Ukraine. Its Ukraine-related work in 2022 included medical and humanitarian assistance, refugee support, medical evacuations, and an airlift operation known as Operation Orange Wings. United Hatzalah is funded through private charitable donations rather than patient charges. Its public profile has been strengthened by Eli Beer’s speaking appearances, technology-focused advocacy, awards, and media coverage. At the same time, the organization has faced criticism concerning statements made after October 7, 2023, including disputed atrocity narratives and descriptions contrasting its emergency response with that of Magen David Adom. A 2021 court ruling also found that United Hatzalah had participated in a coordinated effort to defame Magen David Adom and ordered damages. These controversies remain an important part of the organization’s public record.

United Hatzalah emerged from Israel’s network of local Hatzalah volunteer groups. Eli Beer’s experience as a young emergency medical technician in Jerusalem led him to focus on the delay caused by traffic congestion and difficult urban access. Early responders monitored radio traffic and traveled to emergencies using whatever transport was available. As communications technology developed, the system moved toward managed two-way networks and eventually smartphone-based dispatch. Following the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Beer helped unite more than 50 independent local organizations into United Hatzalah of Israel. The national structure allowed volunteers to be coordinated across municipal and community boundaries while preserving the local knowledge that made neighborhood-based response effective. The organization’s free service model depended on volunteer labor and charitable funding, allowing responders to reach patients without a direct fee. In 2008, United Hatzalah developed LifeCompass, a GPS-oriented dispatch system that could monitor volunteer locations, qualifications, equipment, and mobility. Dispatchers could then alert the closest suitable responders rather than relying only on the physical location of an ambulance station. This approach became the foundation of the organization’s rapid-response model. Volunteers used motorcycles, private vehicles, emergency cars, e-bikes, boats, and all-terrain vehicles according to local geography and the nature of the incident. A later LifeCompass 2.0 system connected volunteers through organizational smartphones and a national command center in Jerusalem. The organization expanded from routine emergency response into mass-casualty support, psychological first aid, search and rescue, and international humanitarian operations. It sent teams to disasters including the Haiti earthquake response, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, hurricanes in the United States, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, and the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. In 2022, its Ukraine and Moldova operations combined medical care, food and medicine deliveries, refugee assistance, and evacuation support. It also deployed to Turkey after the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake and to Morocco after the Al Haouz earthquake, although the Turkey mission was shortened because of a reported security threat. On October 7, 2023, United Hatzalah rapidly deployed volunteers to southern Israel after the Hamas-led attacks. It treated casualties near the Gaza perimeter, established medical clinics, and supplied assistance to civilians and military personnel. The scale of the response increased the organization’s visibility but also generated controversy. Public statements and fundraising accounts associated with Eli Beer were criticized for repeating unverified atrocity stories and for presenting United Hatzalah’s actions in a way that appeared to diminish or mischaracterize Magen David Adom’s response. The dispute was particularly sensitive because of the earlier 2021 court ruling concerning allegedly defamatory statements about Magen David Adom. United Hatzalah continues to operate as a volunteer-based, privately funded EMS organization. Its public identity combines community service, emergency technology, rapid deployment, and an explicitly cross-community volunteer model. Its primary activity remains pre-hospital emergency response in Israel, supplemented by international disaster and humanitarian missions.

1. 2025Ambuscooter launched

   A medically equipped electric scooter was introduced for rapid response in dense urban environments.

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2. 2024Health Minister’s Shield for Volunteering

   United Hatzalah received a national volunteering award for emergency and public-health work.

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3. 2023Response to the October 7 attacks

   The organization mounted a large-scale medical operation in southern Israel and around the Gaza perimeter.

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4. 2022Ukraine and Moldova humanitarian operation

   United Hatzalah delivered medical and humanitarian aid and supported Ukrainian refugees and evacuations.

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5. 2021Tel Aviv District Court ruling

   A court ruling found that the organization had participated in a coordinated effort to defame Magen David Adom and ordered damages.

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6. 2015Operational effectiveness recognition

   United Hatzalah received the Israeli Midot Seal of Effectiveness and was featured as an innovation example at the AIPAC Policy Conference.

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7. 2010Social entrepreneurship recognition

   Eli Beer received the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur Award in recognition of the organization’s volunteer EMS model.

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8. 2008LifeCompass dispatch technology introduced

   A GPS-based system began matching emergencies with nearby volunteers according to location, training, equipment, and mobility.

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9. 2006National organization established

   More than 50 local Hatzalah organizations were consolidated into United Hatzalah of Israel after the Second Lebanon War.

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Free, volunteer-based EMS focused on ultra-rapid first response through distributed community medics and technology-enabled dispatch.

• Emergency medical responseEMS service2006

  United Hatzalah provides free pre-hospital emergency care throughout Israel. Volunteer medics respond to medical emergencies, begin assessment and stabilization, and coordinate with ambulances, hospitals, police, fire services, search-and-rescue units, and the IDF when required. The service is designed to cover the critical period before a conventional ambulance arrives.

• LifeCompassDispatch technology2008

  LifeCompass is the organization’s GPS-enabled dispatch and command system. It tracks available volunteers and helps dispatchers select responders using proximity, medical qualifications, equipment, and transportation capabilities. The system evolved into LifeCompass 2.0, which connects volunteers through organizational smartphones and supports nationwide coordination.

• AmbucycleRapid-response vehicle

  Ambucycles are medically equipped motorcycles used by trained volunteers to bypass traffic and reach patients quickly. They are particularly useful in dense cities, narrow streets, and congested roads. The organization has described a fleet of approximately 1,000 ambucycles, with around 1,000 volunteers equipped with such motorcycles in published accounts.

• AmbuscooterElectric rapid-response vehicle2025

  Introduced in 2025, the ambuscooter is a medically equipped electric scooter intended to maneuver through heavy traffic and narrow urban streets. It extends the organization’s strategy of matching medical equipment with highly mobile response platforms.

• Psychotrauma and Crisis Response UnitPsychological first aid

  This specialist capability provides psychological first aid and crisis support after mass-casualty events, disasters, and acts of violence. It has been deployed internationally, including after the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting and the Surfside condominium collapse.

• 2023October 7 and Gaza-periphery medical response

  Southern Israel · Gaza periphery

  Following the October 7 attacks, United Hatzalah deployed volunteers, established medical clinics, treated injured civilians and military personnel, and distributed medical supplies in southern Israel.

  Outcome. The organization reported treating thousands of people and operating at a substantially increased emergency volume during the conflict.

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• 2022Operation Orange Wings

  Ukraine · Moldova · Israel

  A humanitarian airlift and assistance effort connected with the war in Ukraine. United Hatzalah transported food and medical equipment, supported refugees in Moldova, helped move Ukrainian refugees to Israel, and assisted with medical evacuation and treatment arrangements.

  Outcome. The operation reportedly transported nearly 3,000 Ukrainian refugees to Israel and continued broader medical and humanitarian support.

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• 2025Introduce the ambuscooterProduct launch

  Heavy traffic and narrow streets can prevent larger emergency vehicles from reaching patients quickly.

  What changed. United Hatzalah launched a fully equipped electric scooter for medical first response.

  Aftermath. The vehicle added another highly maneuverable platform to the organization’s mixed fleet.

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• 2022Expand from EMS into international humanitarian responseStrategy

  The war in Ukraine created demand for medical aid, refugee support, supplies, and evacuation assistance.

  What changed. The organization deployed personnel and supplies to Ukraine and Moldova and organized Operation Orange Wings.

  Aftermath. United Hatzalah broadened its international disaster-response profile beyond routine emergency medical services.

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• 2008Adopt GPS-based volunteer dispatchStrategy

  Traditional ambulance response could be delayed by traffic, distance, and difficult urban access.

  What changed. United Hatzalah developed LifeCompass to identify and route the nearest qualified and suitably equipped volunteer.

  Aftermath. The technology became a central part of the organization’s rapid-response model and later evolved into LifeCompass 2.0.

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• 2023Controversy over post-October 7 statementsControversy

  United Hatzalah and Eli Beer faced scrutiny after public fundraising appearances repeated atrocity accounts that critics characterized as unverified and portrayed the organization’s response in contrast with Magen David Adom in ways critics said were misleading.

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• 2021Defamation dispute involving Magen David AdomControversy

  The Tel Aviv District Court found that United Hatzalah had engaged in a coordinated plan to defame and libel Magen David Adom and ordered the organization to pay damages.

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• 2025United Hatzalah introduces the ambuscooter

  The organization announced a medically equipped electric scooter intended for rapid movement through congested traffic and narrow streets.

  Product launch
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• 2024United Hatzalah receives Israel Health Minister’s Shield for Volunteering

  The organization was recognized for lifesaving activity during the October 7 attacks, the Gaza war, and its broader contribution to public health.

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• 2023United Hatzalah responds after the October 7 attacks

  The organization established a major response operation in southern Israel, treated injured people, and operated medical clinics and aid programs during the Gaza war.

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• 2022United Hatzalah expands international disaster-response work

  The organization provided medical and humanitarian assistance connected with the war in Ukraine, including support in Moldova, aid inside Ukraine, refugee assistance, and medical evacuations.

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• 2008LifeCompass GPS dispatch system developed

  United Hatzalah introduced a technology platform designed to locate volunteers and route the most suitable responder to an emergency.

  Product launch
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• 2006United Hatzalah formed through the merger of local Hatzalah organizations

  More than 50 local Hatzalah groups were brought together to create a national Israeli volunteer EMS organization.

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1. United Hatzalah
2. United Hatzalah official website