[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

An ambucycle – a specially equipped motorcycle – was stolen from a United Hatzalah volunteer on Monday. It was later found in the Palestinian Territories, causing worries that it might be used for terrorist purposes. Thanks to a quick response by the IDF the vehicle was retrieved and returned to Israel.

On Monday afternoon, one of United Hatzalah’s Kfar Saba volunteers contacted the dispatch to send out an unusual message: his ambucycle, the vehicle with which he normally rushes to save lives, was stolen. Although it does not happen often – nobody thought much of the incident, until Ituran, the company responsible for the Hatzalah bikes’ GPS systems was contacted.

Soon enough it turned out that the bike did not only leave Kfar Saba – but left Israel altogether and by that time was in the West Bank town of Qalqiliya. How did he pass the military checkpoint, one could ask. Easy: nobody stops a United Hatzalah volunteer. Everybody knows, that the organization’s volunteers are always in a hurry to save lives.

It became apparent though that just as one can leave Israel on a bike – so can one return on it, without anyone noticing it. The situation was fast upgraded to a serious one and the IDF stepped in. The retrieval of the vehicle became of primary importance.

After the ambucycle’s situation did not change for a few hours, IDF forces accompanied by professionals from Ituran, entered the West Bank to repossess the ambucycle and return it to United Hatzalah.

“Thanks to a swift action on the part of the IDF and Ituran, our motorcycle was returned. We are very grateful for their professionalism and will return the vehicle to our volunteer as soon as possible so it can continue its lifesaving work,” Zeev Sofer, the head of United Hatzalah’s Ambucycle Unit said following the successful operation.

A video taken during the retrieval of the ambucycle:

Click HERE to watch this video on a mobile device.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)