Blood Drive Follows Tragedy
When tragedy struck the Arab town of Ilut, the local population took the initiative and started a project calling for an end to violence in the Arab communities. Four months later they arranged, along with Magen David Adom, a week of blood donations across Arab towns and villages.
In October of 2021, Isam Salti was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of criminal gangs, and was killed in the Arab village of Ilut. He had recently married and was working in his family’s business when he tragically died. His family set up an organization in his memory named “Isam’s Pulse” with the main aim of calling for an end to violence in the Arab population. Isam was due to celebrate his 29th birthday this month, and in his memory his family planned to hold an event of each day of February.
For the first few days of February, “Isam’s Pulse” decided that the best way to raise awareness was to arrange a blood drive. MDA blood mobiles headed to seven different towns and villages in and around Nazareth in Israel's north to collect blood donations from local residents.
Sally Salti, Isam’s sister said that they wanted to raise awareness through blood donations as donating blood is, at its core, a life-saving activity. “I’m certain that this is something that Isam would have wanted.”
Lior Altman, Head of Blood Donations in Magen David Adom: “The blood donation project arranged by Isam’s family shows the true meaning of the organization and Isam’s family’s values with which he was raised. I want to thank the Salti family, and encourage everyone to come and donate blood, to help prevent shortages in supply.”
