The Call To Protect Vulnerable North Israeli Communities Amid Crisis
Published by: ICEJ
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has enjoyed a good relationship with the Druze community for many years and has already been reaching out for many years to the Druze villages and other towns in northern Israel with portable bomb shelters and social aid projects. Following the horrific attack in July, they were in contact with Druze officials to find out what they could do to help the impacted families in Majdal Shamas on the Golan.
- Hizbullah has engaged in a war of attrition against Israel since October 8 last year in a bid to draw IDF manpower and resources away from the Gaza front with Hamas.
- According to recent IDF estimates, Hizbullah has launched close to 5,000 rockets and drones at Israel in 2024.
- This has involved months of relentless rocket and drone strikes, plus the threat of cross-border incursions by its elite Radwan units, all of which forced Israel to evacuate some 80,000 citizens from the border with Lebanon.
- The enemy rockets have ignited numerous forest fires across northern Israel.
- The entire nation has lived with the dread of an all-out war with Hizbullah, which has at least 150,000 rockets and missiles and can strike anywhere in Israel.
Due to the constant rocket threat, scores of Israeli families have been evacuated, their homes left abandoned. Yet many residents have courageously remained, holding onto their homesteads and businesses, refusing to become refugees in their own country.
Local and national leaders feel a special obligation to care for those who have fled and those who have remained in the volatile border area, which is home to a diverse mix of Jews and Arabs, including Druze, Bedouin, Christian and Muslim towns.
- The Christian Embassy has been aware of the Hizbullah threat to the Upper Galilee for some time now and had already supplied some 50 mobile bomb shelters to vulnerable communities near the Lebanese border.
- Since the outbreak of the war last October, the ICEJ has responded with more protective shelters and emergency equipment strategically provided to reduce the impact during sudden escalations. I
- So far in 2024 alone, the ICEJ has placed 11 new bomb shelters in the North, while renovating an additional 10 underground shelters in the Mateh Asher region. Together with our previous shelters, these are providing safety and refuge for local residents in times of need.
- During a recent visit to the North, ICEJ staff dedicated three additional portable bomb shelters and informed the regional security officials that they also would be providing them with urgently needed All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and firefighting equipment to combat the fires threatening homes and farmland. They were elated to learn that two ATVs will be delivered very soon.
- Drawing from lessons learned on October 7, ICEJ has provided special encrypted communication devices for emergency response teams in the North to ensure swift and effective coordination during emergencies.
- ICEJ has donated fourteen emergency paramedic kits for first- knowing these medical kits will enhance the capabilities of local rapid response teams.
“The paramedic kits and communication devices enable us to better manage the civilian security response for our region,” said Dotan Rochman, security chief for the Upper Galilee region. “From coordinating emergency responses to transporting school children, these tools make a significant impact. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for the support that has made all this possible.”
“The situation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is a complex and evolving threat”, said Nicole Yoder ICEJ Vice President for AID & Aliyah. “Through the support of Christians around the world, we are working to strengthen Israelis living near the border, to ensure they are not just surviving but standing strong.”
We invite you to join us as we strengthen the resolve of Israel’s northern border communities in this difficult time.
