IDF Soldiers Honored with New Bulletproof Ambulance Donated to West Bank Community

A new bulletproof ambulance was donated in memory of two fallen IDF soldiers and Magen David Adom (MDA) volunteers, Staff Sergeant (Res.) Nitai Meisles and Captain (Res.) Amichar Ben David. Both men died during the recent Iron Swords war in the Gaza Strip. The ambulance was inaugurated in a ceremony at the emergency center in the West Bank settlement of Eli, where Ben David lived, and will serve the local community and surrounding areas.

The ambulance donation was funded through a crowdfunding campaign initiated by Meisles' family with support from the Friends of MDA Association in Israel. Nitai Meisles, a Beersheba resident, began volunteering with MDA in 2009 and served as an armored corps soldier. Amichar Ben David, a resident of Eli, volunteered with MDA from high school, serving as an ambulance driver and emergency medic, and was also a high school educator and community benefactor.

Although Meisles and Ben David did not know each other personally, their families decided to dedicate the ambulance to both men, honoring their shared commitment to saving lives through MDA and their frontline military service. Meisles' father, Eitan, expressed pride that the ambulance continues his son's legacy of saving lives. Ben David's father highlighted the ambulance as a symbol of Israeli resilience and thanked donors and volunteers for making the project possible.

MDA CEO Eli Bin praised the two men for embodying the organization's values of dedication and sacrifice, noting the ambulance will enable medical teams to provide life-saving care under dangerous conditions. Local officials from the Binyamin Regional Council and the Eli settlement emphasized the ambulance's importance for protecting patients and medical staff, especially in emergencies. The vehicle stands as a lasting tribute to the soldiers’ humanitarian and military service.