Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham joined hundreds of Israeli citizens on Jan. 23 to dedicate 14 new ambulances for Magen David Adom, the nation’s emergency medical services provider. Graham honoured the sacrifices of 19 members of Israel’s emergency services, Magen David Adom, who have been killed since Oct. 7, the start of the current Israel-Hamas war.
“We don’t always understand why these things happen—why tragedy happens. But we have faith in God and know that He loves us,” Graham said, addressing the families of four fallen medical personnel. “We pray that these ambulances will bring comfort to the people of Israel, knowing that someone can respond to any crisis, so we thank God and we thank God for this organisation.”
All 14 ambulances dedicated today were provided by Samaritan’s Purse and dedicated in memory of the fallen. Samaritan’s Purse will also be providing seven additional ambulances, with armour plating, to Magen David Adom.
“Some may ask, why are we doing this?” Graham said. “I’m an evangelical Christian who loves Israel. I believe the Bible teaches that Israel is God’s people. There have been many battles that Israel has had to fight for its freedom.
THESE 14 AMBULANCES WILL HELP EMERGENCY SERVICES RESPONDERS AS THEY RENDER AID TO THE SICK AND WOUNDED.
“My father [Billy Graham] supported Israel. He believed the Bible. I believe the Bible, and I believe every word of the Bible. I don’t understand it all, but I believe it,” Graham said at the National Library in Jerusalem. “We give God the glory. The funds to pay for these ambulances came from Christian people. So, we dedicate these ambulances to God, to His glory, and we honour those who have lost their lives.”
In addition to ambulances provided to Magen David Adom, Graham also committed Samaritan’s Purse to providing new ambulance stations in communities that are most at risk of targeted attacks.
FRANKLIN GRAHAM COMFORTED THOSE WHO HAD GATHERED TO REMEMBER THE FALLEN MAGEN DAVID ADOM MEMBERS.
“I would like to express my deep appreciation and thank first and foremost the president of the organisation, Reverend Franklin Graham, for his keen ear for the needs of Magen David Adom and the people of Israel and his open heart to help in whatever is needed,” said Eli Bin, director general of Magen David Adom. “On this day, I would like to commend the memory of our fallen heroes and pray for the safety of the IDF soldiers, for the speedy recovery of the wounded, and for the immediate return of the abductees safe and sound to their families.”
Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) have been on the ground since Oct. 10, providing many tons of relief to aid suffering families displaced by the violence. So far this has included 18,500 food boxes, nearly 4,000 hot meals, and more than 18,000 food vouchers to families in need. We have also airlifted 1,000 emergency trauma kits, as well as gift boxes for children affected by the Oct. 7 attacks.
