Bedouin-Israeli child stuck inside washing machine, seriously injured

The boy was reportedly trapped in the washing machine for several minutes.

 Magen David Adom workers wearing protective clothing seen outside Magen David Adom headquarters in Jerusalem, on January 5, 2022. (photo credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)
Magen David Adom workers wearing protective clothing seen outside Magen David Adom headquarters in Jerusalem, on January 5, 2022.
(photo credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)

A four-year-old boy was found in serious condition by Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel after being trapped in a washing machine in the town of Kuseifa near Beersheba on Thursday night.

MDA paramedics treated the boy and evacuated him to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where he has been ventilated and sedated in the intensive care unit, a spokesperson for the medical center said.

The hospital announced on Friday that the child's condition had improved "significantly." The boy was still in intensive care, but wasn't sedated anymore and could breathe on his own.

"The boy was brought to us unconscious and completely wet. We were told that he was trapped for several minutes in the washing machine," according to MDA doctor Anatoly Palumboim and MDA emergency medic Omri Abu Game.

Recent action by the MDA

The medical service last month had rolled out its AI system to help EMTs and paramedics get the information they need to arrive faster to scenes where people have gotten injured. 

The MDA states its the first of its kind worldwide that is utilized specifically for use in an emergency dispatch center.

 Police and Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel are on the scene of a shooting attack in Lod, Israel, on July 9, 2022. (credit: MDA SPOKESPERSON)
Police and Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel are on the scene of a shooting attack in Lod, Israel, on July 9, 2022. (credit: MDA SPOKESPERSON)

The MDA was already on the scene when Israeli singer Eyal Golan fainted mid-concert in Tel Aviv earlier this week, where he received medical treatment from first responders.

In September of last year, a three-year-old toddler was in critical condition after being forgotten for several hours inside a locked vehicle. MDA paramedics had to declare her death upon evacuating her to Soroka Medical Center.

The month before, an Israeli infant that was only days old at the time was found alive in a cardboard box after being left there for several days in Acre. Police officers found the infant with the umbilical cord still attached to his stomach.

Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman contributed to this report.