When Sirens Sound: Christians Saving Lives in Israel

November 7, 2024

by: Zoë McHenry, BFP Writer

 

As rocket sirens screamed across Israel on October 7, 2023, the urgent wail of ambulance sirens joined the cacophony in the south. Dozens of emergency vehicles belonging to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national ambulance and emergency medical services, responded to the flood of calls from civilians facing Hamas terrorists. International law prohibits targeting ambulances and emergency responders during conflict. But Hamas showed no restraint. Terrorists fired directly at MDA vehicles, shooting at windows and tires and even targeting the responders with automatic rifles and RPGs.

Amid this chaos, veteran EMT and dispatch officer Ronit Glaser spent 13 grueling hours at the MDA dispatch center. She fielded calls from terrified civilians and coordinated emergency responses as the terrifying reality began to piece together. Glaser described those harrowing hours: “Our teams started getting hit. All of a sudden, terrorists came directly to hit our teams to make it impossible for us to take care of patients, to save people.”

In the aftermath of the attack, it became clear that this formed part of Hamas’s premeditated goal: crippling the emergency medical services to ensure that responders were unable to reach and aid innocent victims.

MDA embodies the Talmudic (the rabbinic commentary on Jewish tradition and the Hebrew Scriptures), saying: “To save one life is to save a universe.” October 7 was no different. Despite the grave risks, MDA teams continued to rush toward the massacre rather than away from it, deploying armored ambulances in front of standard vehicles to evacuate as many victims as possible from the small southern kibbutzim [collective communities]. The plan worked, and countless ‘universes’ were saved.

Sadly, MDA’s bravery came at a cost. Hamas destroyed 14 ambulances and murdered 11 MDA personnel on the field. While the precious lives lost are irreplaceable and deeply mourned, MDA looked to the future, urgently needing to replenish their resources.

Bridges for Peace has been a long-standing friend of MDA, partnering with this crucial organization for decades to help save Israeli lives. Thanks to donations from international Christians, we were able to hand over an ambulance as one of our first major gifts to MDA. This ambulance was placed into service in 2014, stationed in Givat Zeev, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, and has to date attended to 2,961 individuals, including 113 victims of violence. A year later, Bridges for Peace donated another ambulance. This time, the vehicle was stationed in northern Israel in Karmiel, providing care to 826 people, including 27 victims of violence. In 2017, two Bridges for Peace medicycles joined MDA’s life-saving fleet, enabling rapid responses in densely populated areas. And in 2020, we were honored to donate yet another medicycle, bringing the total of Bridges for Peace emergency vehicles saving Israeli lives to five.

Then came October 7, 2023…In light of the resources lost on that terrible day, our national offices sprang into action, answering MDA’s call for assistance. In 2023, our offices in Japan and Canada each contributed a mobile ICU ambulance, vital for transporting critically ill or injured patients, ensuring they receive immediate care en route to hospitals. The life-saving donations continued in October 2024, when our Japan office donated a state-of-the-art bloodmobile, enhancing blood donation and transfusion capacity for soldiers and civilians across Israel. Additionally, our South African office supplied two fully equipped rapid response vehicles tonavigate difficult terrains to reach all emergencies in densely populated areas swiftly.

In total, the monetary value of these emergency vehicles donated following the October 7 attack comes tojust shy of US $700,000. Yet the monetary value is but one of the blessings poured out on Israel.

Each vehicle door proudly displays the flags of the donating nations and heartfelt messages of support,transforming them into symbols of Christian love for Israel. One message on Japan’s bloodmobile reads: “We pray daily for the health and safety of the people of Israel! Love from the Christians in Japan.”

During the handover ceremony in October 2024, International CEO of Bridges for Peace, Peter Fast, emphasized that these messages assure Israelis they are not alone.

President of Christian Friends of MDA, Anne Ayalon, echoed his sentiments: “When Israelis see that there is Christian support for Israel, it is a surprise and a delight for us. It lifts us up. You are exactly what Bridges for Peace represents—building bridges between Jews and Christians.”

Thanks to Christians worldwide who love the God and people of Israel, MDA now has more ambulances on the road, prepared to respond to disasters, terror and accidents. Together, through every siren, we are saving lives—universes, even—here in Israel.

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