Reverend Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse surprised Israel’s emergency services system with a pledge to donate 20 more ambulances on Thursday during a dedication ceremony of two armored ambulances.
The unveiling of the ambulances for Magen David Adom, the emergency services system, was done in the memory of three American-Israelis killed by Hamas; Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Roi Idan and Smadar Mor-Idan.
IN ISRAEL, FRANKLIN GRAHAM AND SAMARITAN'S PURSE DONATE AMBULANCES, HONOR LIVES LOST TO TERROR
"Today we are in Israel to dedicate the two armored ambulances that have just arrived, as well as a new ambulance center near the Gaza border where there has not been one before," said Rev. Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse.
"The need is so great, we have just committed to providing 20 more armored ambulances. The MDA team are heroes, saving lives every day, and it is an honor to stand with them," Graham added.
Counting Thursday's pledge, Samaritan's Purse has donated 42 ambulances to Israel since the war with Hamas began on October 7, 2023.
"Franklin Graham, welcome to Israel. A true friend of the state of Israel," said Gadi Yarkoni, mayor of the Eshkol Regional Council.
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Rev. Graham also laid the cornerstone in a ceremony for a new Magen David Adom (MDA) station in Avshalom, which borders Gaza. The Avshalom emergency station would decrease wait times for Israeli paramedics to reach the scenes of emergencies along the Gaza border. MDA also partners with the Red Cross to respond to disasters worldwide.
Samaritan's Purse is also working on another Magen David Adom station in Shlomi, on the northern border of Israel.
"We don’t know if we are happy or sad. We walk around between hope and despair. We are waiting for our people to return," said Eli Bin, MDA’s director general during the ceremony. "Mr. Graham, you are really one of the most important people to MDA, and one of the most important people to the state of Israel."
"The building of the station is building a bridge between the awful events that happened and much more hopeful future here," added Bin.
Samaritan's Purse donated 14 ambulances to MDA in January after Hamas forces destroyed rescue vehicles in Israel during the October 2023 attack.
"The generosity of Reverend Franklin Graham and his organization Samaritan’s Purse knows no bounds. As he dedicated eight additional Magen David Adom armored ambulances and two new MDA stations, he leaned in and told me he would donate another twenty, taking the total amount to forty-two life-saving vehicles. The entire people of Israel are indebted to this great man and organization," said MDA director general Eli Bin.
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Samaritan's Purse offers humanitarian aid in more than 100 countries worldwide to "victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution," according to their website.
