Adults, teens and young children in Israel took advantage of the Yom Kippur holiday, which ended Saturday night, to enjoy walking and cycling in streets empty of cars.
In total, Magen David Adom personnel provided medical care to 2,319 people over Yom Kippur. Of that number, 68 had fainted due to fasting, while 18 people needed to be resuscitated.
Of the thousands who took to the streets on their bicycles, 241 were injured and needed first aid, including 193 children and teens. Another 36 people were hurt in car accidents around country. Emergency personnel also rushed 116 women in labor to maternity hospitals, and seven babies were also delivered by MDA teams.
In Haifa, a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured when he fell with his bike off a seven-meter high bridge. Magen David Adom rescue personnel took him to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where he underwent surgery.
The accident occurred in Saturday afternoon close to the Neve Shanan neighborhood. Hospital staff worked to stabilize the boy, who sustained multiple injuries all over his body, before he was taken to the operating theater. He is now in intensive care on a ventilator. Haifa police have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
In Bnei Brak, a two-year-old boy fell from the third floor of a building. He was taken to Sheba hospital in central Israel, where he remains in serious condition. According to police, the boy climbed up on a chair and fell when his mother was at home. There is no suspicion of foul play.
Also in Haifa, a 14-year-old girl was hurt when she fell off her bicycle. She was also taken to Rambam hospital, where she was in moderate condition. The girl suffered facial fractures and was hospitalized in the children's ward.
Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva reported that it had treated 314 people during Yom Kippur, including 34 children, primarily for minor injuries sustained during falls.