Paramedic Delivers Baby in Emergency Home Birth, Then Runs With Newborn to Shelter

A baby boy was born Thursday morning, on a living room sofa in Tel Aviv, assisted by a Magen David Adom team, moments before an Iranian missile siren sent the family and medics running for shelter, as missile alerts continue to disrupt daily life across central Israel, forcing civilians into protected spaces even during critical moments like childbirth.

Violet Hinawi woke up with contractions and, together with her husband Nikola, believed they had enough time to reach the hospital. Instead, events escalated rapidly. The couple called MDA, and dispatcher Aharon Cohen guided Nikola step by step over the phone as the labor progressed.

“I didn’t believe it would happen so fast. We called an ambulance, and while I was still on the phone with them, I already started helping with the delivery myself,” Nikola said.

At the same time, an MDA intensive care unit team led by paramedic Dr. Gal Rosen, alongside emergency medical technicians Vladislav Priadko and Yuval Peleg, was dispatched to the apartment. In the midst of the urgency, Nikola briefly left the apartment to direct the team to the building entrance.

Within about 30 minutes, the baby was delivered on the living room sofa. The newborn, weighing approximately 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds), was born healthy.

Moments later, sirens sounded across central Israel warning of incoming Iranian missile fire. Rosen picked up the minutes-old baby and ran with him to a protected space as the family and medical team evacuated the building together.

“In one moment I found myself running with him in the street with a vest and helmet to get him into a protected space, and in the next moment, once it was safe, I handed him immediately to his father. It was important to me that he feel this was his son, that he was the one protecting him, not a stranger. Seeing a half-hour-old baby in a public shelter is something you don’t forget,” Rosen said.

The disruption continued even after the immediate emergency. On the way to the hospital, another siren forced the family, along with Rosen, to once again seek shelter.

“It wasn’t a simple experience. The labor started at home, and just minutes after the MDA team delivered the baby, the siren caught us and we went down to the shelter. The team functioned amazingly, calmed us, and treated us in the best possible way. This isn’t the ideal experience, but we’re happy everything ended safely and we’re grateful to the team who helped us so much,” the parents said.

Despite the circumstances, Nikola confirmed that both mother and baby were in good condition. “Everything is fine, thank God, and we just hope for much quieter days and good news for everyone.”