Relief for Israel

It only took moments for Lihi to become a widow. Her husband was a physician who died while trying to save lives at a medical clinic during a terrorist attack on Israel.

We didn’t realize that there were hundreds of terrorists in our country,” she said. “They came into the clinic and killed almost everyone.”

As she grieved, Lihi also had to figure out how to care for her two children on her own. They had been forced to flee their home without any idea of when they could safely return. They were among the hundreds of thousands of people who were suddenly displaced.

Samaritan’s Purse quickly responded by partnering with more than 50 local churches and Christian organizations to provide critical relief supplies across Israel. We also supported Christian churches in Gaza to help suffering Palestinian families.

Eli Birnbaum is a local pastor who partnered with us to bring hope in the Name of Jesus Christ. His church was one of several hubs where emergency food boxes were assembled and distributed. Each box fed a family of five for a week and on the side was printed “Love Your Neighbour” in Hebrew. 

“Jesus told us to love our neighbour. We’re pointing to a greater hope than just a physical hope,” he said. “This land is very broken, and only Jesus can bring true healing. We want to point people to Jesus with our words and with our actions. 

“Local pastors have told us how grateful they are for these boxes, which allow them to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

He also shared how helping with the food effort has encouraged Christians who are struggling to process the trauma of war.

“This is a way people can volunteer and give back. It’s a first step of healing,” Eli said. “My friend helped, and he told me, ‘I haven’t left my house in two weeks. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help others’.”

Samaritan’s Purse is also working with Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical system. We are providing them with new ambulances to replace the ones that Hamas destroyed. Ambulances were among the first targets during the attack, with some set on fire and others shot so that they could not be used to help innocent families.

We’re also providing Magen David Adom fully armoured ambulances. “I want these first responders to be fully protected if they have to go into violent areas,” said Franklin Graham, who travelled to Israel to encourage survivors of the terrorist attack.

During one of his trips, Graham met the family of Amit, a paramedic who was killed during the attack. Amit was treating the wounded at a clinic when Hamas gunmen broke in and shot her. One of the ambulances that Samaritan’s Purse replaced now bears Amit’s name as a testimony to her life.

“We are amazed with the amount of love and hope that you bring to the people of Israel,” said Uri Shacham, chief of staff for Magen David Adom. “I think about the thousands of lives that will be saved thanks to this help from you. This is amazing.” 

In addition to replacing ambulances, we’re meeting medical needs by equipping civilian first responder teams with hundreds of trauma supply kits. “These kits enable medical personnel to perform simple surgical procedures that will save lives and keep patients alive until they can get further help,” said Dr. Hadar Milloh, a ministry partner. “Without this kit, they would certainly die.”

Some of the most vulnerable and traumatised by the conflict are children. 

Our teams helped bring joy to boys and girls whose lives have been turned upside down. We distributed thousands of gift-filled boxes that brought smiles to the faces of children who were desperate for hope.

Samaritan’s Purse remains committed to supporting local ministry partners and churches as they help bring peace to their communities.