By: Nativia Samuelsen

Israel is poised for a major escalation in its cross-border clashes with Hizbullah after the Islamist terror militia fired a rocket into the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday, killing 12 youths and wounding many more. The lethal strike on a community soccer field marked the biggest civilian tragedy for Israel since the October 7 massacres by Hamas in southern Israel ten months ago.

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has already been reaching out for many years to the Druze villages and other towns in northern Israel with portable bomb shelters and social aid projects, and we are now in contact with Druze officials to find out what we can do to help the impacted families in Majdal Shamas on the Golan.

Hizbullah has engaged in a war of attrition against Israel since October 8 last year in a bid to draw IDF manpower and resources away from the Gaza front with Hamas. This has involved months of relentless rocket and drone strikes, plus the threat of cross-border incursions by its elite Radwan units, all of which forced Israel to evacuate some 80,000 citizens from the border with Lebanon. The enemy rockets have ignited numerous forest fires across northern Israel, and in fact the entire nation has lived with the dread of an all-out war with Hizbullah, which has at least 150,000 rockets and missiles and can strike anywhere in Israel.

During a recent staff visit to the northern Galilee, we were still half an hour’s drive from the border with Lebanon and could already see the landscape marked by patches of scorched earth from the brush fires caused by Hizbullah rockets and armed drones. It was a stark reminder we were moving into an active war zone.

Due to the constant rocket threat, scores of Israeli families have been evacuated, their homes left abandoned. Yet many residents have courageously remained, holding onto their homesteads and businesses, refusing to become refugees in their own country.

According to recent IDF estimates, Hizbullah has launched close to 5,000 rockets and drones at Israel in 2024, mostly targeting sites within seven kilometres of the border. Local and national leaders feel a special obligation to care for those who have fled the volatile border area, which is home to a diverse mix of Jews and Arabs, including Druze, Bedouin, Christian and Muslim towns.

The ever-present threat they face demands preparedness. The Christian Embassy has been aware of the Hizbullah threat to the Upper Galilee for some time now and had already supplied some 50 mobile bomb shelters to vulnerable communities near the Lebanese border. Since the outbreak of the war last October, the ICEJ has responded with more protective shelters and emergency equipment strategically provided to reduce the impact during sudden escalations. In 2024 alone, the ICEJ has placed 11 new bomb shelters in the North, while renovating an additional 10 underground shelters in the Mateh Asher region. Together with our previous shelters, these are providing safety and refuge for local residents in times of need.

In addition, drawing from lessons learned on October 7, the ICEJ has provided special encrypted communication devices for emergency response teams in the North to ensure swift and effective coordination during emergencies. Further, we just donated fourteen emergency paramedic kits for first-responders through the generosity of Christian donors around the world, knowing these medical kits will enhance the capabilities of local rapid response teams.

“The paramedic kits and communication devices enable us to better manage the civilian security response for our region,” said Dotan Rochman, security chief for the Upper Galilee region. “From coordinating emergency responses to transporting school children, these tools make a significant impact. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for the support that has made all this possible.”

During our recent visit to the North, we dedicated three additional portable bomb shelters and informed the regional security officials we also would be providing them with urgently needed All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and firefighting equipment to combat the fires threatening homes and farmland. They were elated to learn that two ATVs will be delivered very soon.

During our recent ICEJ staff visit, we also discovered an urgent need for a large shelter at an educational center in Upper Galilee, and are now working to provide that.

The ICEJ continues to actively strengthen vulnerable communities on Israel’s northern and southern borders – whether Jewish, Arab, Druze, Bedouin or Christian. To date, the ICEJ has donated 214 life-saving mobile bomb shelters in at-risk areas, with an additional 167 underground shelters upgraded in northern border communities, most in the past year. These measures are not just reactive but proactive, aimed at protecting lives of Israeli citizens in case of sudden attack.

These ICEJ shelters are being strategically placed in high-traffic public areas, ensuring maximum protection during an attack. The locations include schools, bus stops, playgrounds, sports facilities, music centers, local municipal offices, and religious centers. Knowing that there are safe spaces to run into enables residents to maintain a daily routine and have more peace of mind when the emergency sirens sound.

“The situation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is a complex and evolving threat”, said Nicole Yoder ICEJ Vice President for AID & Aliyah. “Through the support of Christians around the world, we are working to strengthen Israelis living near the border, to ensure they are not just surviving but standing strong.”

We invite you to join us as we strengthen the resolve of Israel’s northern border communities in this difficult time. Donate today at: give.icej.org/crisis

Main photo: Flash90