By: Laurina Driesse

Israel is bracing for a massive wave of attacks by Iran following the death last week of two high-profile leaders from the Hamas and Hizbullah terror militias aligned with the radical clerical regime in Tehran. Tensions are especially high in northern Israel, which could come under heavy rocket barrages from Hizbullah forces in Lebanon. In response, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem is rushing to provide more bomb shelters and other means to protect vulnerable Israeli communities near the Lebanese border.

One such community is Hurfeish, a mixed Druze and Christian village located just four kilometers from Israel’s border with Lebanon. Although its inhabitants are all Arabs, Hurfeish has repeatedly been in Hizbullah’s direct line of fire, with residents only having seconds to seek shelter.  

The ICEJ has provided this community with several mobile bomb shelters over recent years, but we recognized they desperately need more shelters and are delivering six new shelters as soon as possible—hopefully all this week if the anticipated escalation can hold off a few days.

Thanks to support from Christian donors in the USA, we already delivered the initial two shelters to Hurfeish this week. ICEJ-USA is also providing support for an additional two shelters to the village, while another two shelters are awaiting donor support. 

In a wonderful gesture by the manufacturer, the mural artist Elyasaf is painting beautiful imagery on these shelters to uplift the surroundings. The local Druze community is extremely loyal to Israel and requested that both the Druze and Israeli flags be painted on the shelters. The shelters are being strategically placed in locations where civilians are most vulnerable, such as bus stops, community centers, sports fields, and schools.

The delivery of these shelters could not be more timely, as only days ago a rocket struck the nearby Druze community of Majdal Shams in the Golan, tragically killing 12 children and wounding many more at a soccer field.

Due to the urgency of the current situation, with Iran and Hizbullah vowing to “punish” Israel, the manufacturer is giving top priority to finishing the remaining shelters and delivering them as soon as possible.  

In addition, through generous donations from our Christian friends in Canada, a shelter also has just been placed this week at a soccer field in the northern town of Safed – an historic Jewish religious town situated 12 kilometers from the Lebanese border which has been frequently targeted by Hizbullah rockets.

Over recent years, the ICEJ has already supplied more than 50 portable bomb shelters to vulnerable communities near Israel’s northern border, and renovated more than 200 existing underground shelters. This year alone, the ICEJ has now placed 17 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.

Many more shelters are urgently needed for the northern border towns during these difficult days.

Thank you for partnering with us by supporting our Israel in Crisis fund. Your donations are making a huge difference for vulnerable Israeli communities in the North.

Donate at: give.icej.org/crisis

Photos: Operation Lifeshield