A plane that was chartered and converted into a flying intensive care unit, left Israel on a late March morning on its way to Bucharest in a joint operation between the Jewish Agency of Israel and Israel’s Rabin Medical Center, and United Hatzalah.

The goal of the mission was to evacuate and transport a number of seriously ill Ukrainian refugees who had fled the fighting in their country and were received by the Jewish Agency’s immigration centers in Romania. This was an extraordinary life-saving mission took place and the plane made its way from Bucharest to Israel with the seriously ill Ukrainian patients onboard.

The medical evac flight landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport with continuous medical supervision. Once the plane landed, the patients were taken by ambulances directly to Rabin Medical Center in Greater Tel Aviv, where they received emergency medical care. Prior to their evacuation, the patients were housed at a Jewish Agency facility in Bucharest, where they received care from medical staff from Rabin Medical Center who were on location.

The Jewish Agency has been receiving refugees in centers in various countries that neighbor Ukraine including Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Moldova which is in partnership with the International Federation of Christians and Jews. Ukrainian refugees wishing to immigrate to Israel are being received at these centers and are provided with everything they need until they are able to immigrate to Israel and be received by Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption.

Special teams from Rabin Medical Center joined members of The Jewish Agency weeks ago in order to provide medical care to refugees staying at the organization’s various facilities. Thousands of Jews who have fled the fighting in Ukraine and arrived at the centers, weary with travel and with almost none of their belongings, then received medical treatment from Rabin Medical Center personnel staffing these centers.

The director of Rabin Medical Center, Dr. Eytan Wirtheim said: “As time goes by, our teams in Warsaw and Bucharest have to come to a clearer understanding of how great the distress is and how expansive the medical needs are. I am pleased that we are able to help these refugees heal and bring them hope. My heart widens at seeing the boundless efforts of our incredible teams who are working day and night in order to assist the refugees. This humanitarian work is the moral obligation of each and every one of us during this time.”