Continuing its support for Israel during the war, ICEJ donates four new ambulances

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) has responded to the Gaza war with several relief and aid projects since the brutal attack on Oct. 7. 

On Wednesday, the ICEJ announced the donation of four new ambulances to help replace the dozens of Israeli ambulances destroyed during and since the Hamas massacres of Oct. 7. 

Among the donated vehicles is an advanced, fully equipped military ambulance to serve Israeli communities near the Gaza border. These armored ambulances cost significantly more than normal ambulances but are critical for responding to emergencies in the conflict-prone area of the Gaza Envelope. 

In addition, ICEJ donated two regular ambulances for the nationwide fleet of the Magen David Adom emergency medical services, and a special ambulance to serve elderly Holocaust survivors in Haifa and northern Israel. 

The military ambulance was dedicated in a special ceremony at an IDF medical training base near Beersheva in January. The purchase was a joint project of the Czech branches of the ICEJ and the Jewish National Fund, which raised the funds.

The ambulance will serve the residents of Kibbutz Be'eri and the Eshkol Region, which were hard hit during the Hamas invasion and terror attack on Oct. 7. At least 110 members of Kibbutz Be'eri, including two paramedics, were murdered and 23 were taken hostage into Gaza. 

ICEJ explained that Kibbutz Be’eri was chosen as a beneficiary because its story reminded many Czechs of the brutal Nazi destruction of the village of Lidice in 1942. Video footage of Hamas gunmen shooting an ambulance during their rampage through Be’eri was also instrumental in that decision. 

The purchase of the two fully equipped ambulances for Magen David Adom came via Christian supporters of Israel in Switzerland and the USA, who donated the necessary funds for their purchase. 

The fourth ambulance was donated by ICEJ to serve Holocaust survivors in northern Israel, including the residents of ICEJ’s unique retirement home for needy Holocaust survivors in Haifa. The ambulance will be operated by the ICEJ’s local charitable partner Yad Ezer L’Haver (which translates to "a helping hand to a friend"). 

ICEJ has a long history of helping Israel over the years and has attempted to increase its aid since the start of the Gaza war.

In January, ICEJ brought a group of Christian leaders to Israel on a solidarity tour, which included a visit to the devastated communities of the Gaza Envelope. 

Other recent ICEJ donations include:

• 1 new medi-scooter to MDA.

• 4 medical packs and 4 defibrillators for security officers in Hof Ashkelon.

• 5 new fire-fighting ATVs for communities in the Western Negev.

• 400-plus sets of special radio transmitters for security and first responder teams in communities along the Gaza border.

• 100s of helmets and protective vests for first-responder teams. 

• A refrigerated truck for bringing food to evacuees, donated to the Pitchon-Lev anti-poverty charity. 

• 12 new portable bomb shelters, along with renovating 140 existing underground shelters in northern Israel. 

“We have a deep attachment to the nation and people of Israel and are firmly committed to helping them overcome the many challenges of this war, so they can rebuild their lives and restore their sense of security,” said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler.