EXCLUSIVE: Franklin Graham leads ceremony as Samaritan's Purse gives armored 'bulletproof' ambulance to Israel

Yahoo02-06-2025

As Israel continues to recover from the deadly Hamas attacks of October 2023, Samaritan's Purse is stepping in to help. The Christian relief group has now given 20 ambulances to Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical service. A total of 42 are planned, with 28 being armored to handle attacks.
At a ceremony outside the Tower of David in Jerusalem, Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, dedicated the newest ambulance alongside former Governor Mike Huckabee, MDA leaders, and Israeli terror survivors. The ambulance is equipped with a mobile intensive care unit and can operate under fire.Former Idf Soldier Gives Hope, Builds Resilience In Training Severely Injured Soldiers
The funds for the vehicle came from Pastor Greg Laurie and his church, Harvest Christian Fellowship. Laurie told those gathered, "We want to say as Christians that we stand with Israel. You're not alone."
Franklin Graham read from the Bible, saying that Abraham was like a first responder when he rescued his nephew Lot."Abraham was the MDA of his generation," Graham said. He also took time to speak directly to three women who had lost loved ones or had been held hostage by Hamas. One of them, Karina Engel, shared her emotional story.
Engel's husband, Ronen, was killed defending their home, and she and her two daughters were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. They were held for 52 days before being released. Ronen's body is still being held by Hamas.
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Karina told the crowd that a Samaritan's Purse ambulance, dedicated in her husband's memory, is now stationed near their home.
"Every morning when I leave for work, I say 'good morning' to Ronen," she said through tears. She then placed a yellow ribbon on Graham's jacket, honoring those still held hostage.
Mike Huckabee spoke at the ceremony and said the need for an armored ambulance shows how serious the threat still is. "This is an occasion brought about because of suffering," he said.
"Thank God for Samaritan's Purse, Harvest Christian Fellowship, and the people who risk their lives to help others."
Magen David Adom leaders praised the donation. Director General Eli Bin said the ambulance "will become part of our modern defense" and called it a symbol of "kindness and protection."
Gilad Erdan, global president of MDA, said Samaritan's Purse "came to Israel's aid in its time of greatest need."
Edward Graham, a military veteran and Franklin Graham's son, said in a statement that he has seen the value of quick medical help in combat zones.
"We do this because God loves Israel," he said. "We pray this equipment will save lives and bring glory to God."
The ambulance carries a Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11 on its side: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
The ceremony was held during Shavuot, the Jewish holiday that marks the giving of the Torah.
Twenty-two more armored ambulances are being built and are expected to arrive by the end of the year. Samaritan's Purse says its work will continue as long as there is a need.Original article source: EXCLUSIVE: Franklin Graham leads ceremony as Samaritan's Purse gives armored 'bulletproof' ambulance to Israel

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Israeli forces recover bodies of three hostages from Gaza

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3 hours ago

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Israeli forces recover bodies of three hostages from Gaza

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages which had been held in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group Hamas' 2023 attack, the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. The hostages were identified as civilians Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson. All were killed on the day of the attack, on October 7, 2023, the military said. With their retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. The abduction of Samerano, 21 at the time of his death, by a man later identified by Israeli officials as a worker at the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, was caught on CCTV. Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities. The subsequent Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run strip, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into humanitarian crisis and left much of the territory in ruins.