Eighteen new ambulances were inaugurated in Haifa in memory of the 18 men and women murdered inside the so-called “death ambulance” during the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023. The fleet, fully funded and donated by the Yossi Ambulance Group, was unveiled at the company’s Haifa headquarters on Monday in the presence of bereaved families and former finance minister Moshe Kahlon. Each vehicle carries the name, photograph, and a short dedication for one of the victims.
Organizers said the project aims to transform a symbol of loss into a living memorial that saves lives daily across Israel.
The ceremony followed extensive Israeli reporting that documented the “death ambulance” episode, in which festivalgoers crowded into a parked ambulance to seek shelter as Hamas gunmen attacked. Eighteen were killed and two escaped, according to a Kan 11 reconstruction.
Kahlon, who helped guide the initiative, told attendees the ambulances represent “an unbroken spirit” and a national call for unity after a year of trauma. “We must not despair, and we have no privilege to despair. We must restore the glory of who we are,” he said. The company confirmed that the vehicles were funded by private capital, without public donations or government funding.
Eilon Shperber, the company’s chief executive, said the goal was to recast a scene of horror into a symbol of revival.
“Every ambulance that leaves here is a living candle in memory of those whose lives were cut short,” he said. Yossi Ambulance Group is one of Israel’s largest private emergency medical providers and a manufacturer-operator of ambulances, with nationwide operations based in Haifa.
New ambulances carry their memory and save lives
Representing the families, Michal Gabay, mother of the late Shani Gabay, thanked the company for turning pain into action. “In an ambulance, our loved ones lost their lives, and today new ambulances carry their memory and save lives,” she said.
Background reports indicate the Yossi Ambulance team was among the official medical forces deployed at the Nova festival before the attack. Israeli media and public records have also highlighted the sacrifices of private and volunteer first responders that day, including Yossi Ambulance personnel.
The new ambulances will be dispatched nationwide. With every callout, organizers said, they will carry the stories and names of the 18 victims whose memory the project seeks to honor.