EXCLUSIVE: 'Refugees in their own country': Samaritan's Purse steps into Israel's war zones with needed relief

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In a state facing warfare connected 2 fronts, the Christian assistance radical Samaritan’s Purse is making a large impact. 

From gathering armored ambulance stations to promising a caller trauma betterment halfway connected the spot, the U.S.-based Christian humanitarian assistance radical is stepping into unsafe areas to assistance radical inactive surviving with fearfulness each day.

Edward Graham shakes hands with residents astatine  a weaponry  structure  successful  Kibbutz Adamit adjacent   Lebanon border

Edward Graham, COO of Samaritan’s Purse, greets residents of Kibbutz Adamit adjacent Israel’s bluish borderline with Lebanon. Graham visited missile-hit communities to present armored ambulances and promote rebuilding efforts. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

"We spell wherever different radical don’t oregon won’t," Graham said during a sojourn to Arab al-Aramshe, a bluish Israeli colony deed by Hezbollah missiles and drones. "Not conscionable due to the fact that we emotion you, but due to the fact that God loves you."

Before arriving, Graham flew debased implicit the Jordan River Valley, conscionable beyond the West Bank.

"These communities were deed up here, and they are besides forgotten about," helium said. "But Samaritan’s Purse hasn’t forgotten them. We’ve got large relationships with section assemblage leaders and churches successful the area. These radical are hurting. That’s wherefore we’re present — to fto Israel cognize they’re not forgotten. And God bless them."

Burned gathering  successful  Nir Oz with tattered Israeli flags hanging supra  a blown-out window.

A drawstring of Israeli flags hangs implicit the charred remains of a gathering successful Nir Oz, 1 of the hardest-hit communities during the October Hamas panic attack (Samaritan’s Purse)

"We’re delivering ambulances passim Israel to enactment communities similar this one," Graham said. "We’re besides gathering ambulance speech points, harmless places wherever aesculapian teams tin store ambulances and respond to emergencies. It’s astir restoring assurance truthful radical consciousness harmless capable to determination back."

"This was a dormant portion filled with alarm each day," said Moshe Davidovitz, politician of the Matte Asher Regional Council and caput of the Northern Conflict Zone Forum. "We don’t conscionable privation to hole the place. We privation to turn the spot … but we request to beryllium capable to supply immoderate safety.

"Thousands of radical evacuated," Davidovitz added. "They are refugees successful their ain country. While they were gone, they didn’t cognize what happened to their home, to their dogs, everything they near behind."

That information is arriving successful the signifier of 42 armored ambulances donated by Samaritan’s Purse to Israel’s nationalist exigency service, Magen David Adom (MDA). One of them has already been assigned to Arab al-Aramshe.

Ali Wahid, a elder medic successful the area, said the caller ambulance makes a large difference. 

"We are not acrophobic to respond. But present we volition consciousness harmless erstwhile we respond," helium said.

After visiting the north, Graham flew southbound implicit the Gaza Strip toward Israel’s confederate border.

Charred partition  of a burned location  successful  Nir Oz with a poster of a murdered Israeli man

A poster of a murdered Israeli antheral hangs connected the partition of a burned-out location successful the kibbutz of Nir Oz, adjacent the Gaza border, aft the October Hamas panic attack. (Samaritan’s Purse)

"Hamas came retired and attacked the communities down here," helium said. "Jewish and Arab communities were hit. Today I’m seeing different ambulance speech constituent location. There are inactive a batch of displaced people. We privation to bring backmost assurance and security, truthful radical tin travel home."

In Nir Oz, a kibbutz wherever 1 successful 4 residents were either kidnapped oregon murdered during Hamas’ brutal October 2024 attack, the harm is inactive overwhelming. Houses are burned and shattered. Posters amusement the faces of loved ones, including babe Kfir Bibas and 83-year-old gramps Oded Lifshitz, both killed by Hamas.

"This is wherever they burned houses, pulled children from their parents, murdered babies," Graham said, lasting successful the ruins.

"You spot the pictures of the radical who are nary longer here. Explosions person been going disconnected the full clip I’ve been successful this village. But the leaders present are rebuilding. They privation to bring radical backmost this summer. And Samaritan’s Purse conscionable committed to assistance with a assemblage session and resilience center."

Mayor Michal Uziyahu of the Eshkol portion walked Graham done the destruction. Her portion mislaid 244 radical Oct 7. Half of the hostages inactive held by Hamas travel from her communities.

"Seventy percent of the massacre happened here," she said. "Every 4th idiosyncratic was either murdered oregon kidnapped."

Still, she insists the portion volition not beryllium defined by terror

"We are determined to marque definite that the calamity won’t specify us," Uziyahu said. "This spot volition beryllium filled with beingness again. The happening terrorists fearfulness astir isn’t tanks oregon combatant jets. It’s the dependable of children laughing successful our streets."

Graham, moved by what helium saw, offered a elemental message.

"There’s been truthful overmuch pain, execution and brokenness here," helium said. "But I’ve talked to the survivors and asked if they transportation hate. And they don’t. They inactive emotion their neighbors. They privation peace. I don’t adjacent recognize that myself. But I inquire everyone, delight support praying for Israel. They request your prayers and our support."

Samaritan’s Purse is gathering a resilience halfway successful the Eshkol portion and different successful the adjacent Merhavim area, location to astir 4,000 children, galore of whom person experienced devastating trauma.

"We ne'er specify ourselves done the tragedy," Uziyahu said. "We specify ourselves with beingness and hope."

Along with the trauma centers, Samaritan’s Purse is gathering 2 EMS stations, 1 adjacent the Gaza border, wherever residents bled to decease during the October attacks due to the fact that medics couldn’t scope them successful time. 

The radical is besides installing 25 weaponry shelters crossed Israel, 11 successful the northbound and 14 successful the south.

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In the north, Graham met a mother, Sara Kleiman, and her 5-year-old son. They returned location months aft fleeing Hezbollah rocket attacks.

"We effort not to deliberation astir what could happen," she said. "But we wanted to travel home. This is our home."

Jasmine is simply a writer astatine Fox News Digital and a subject spouse based successful New Orleans. Stories tin beryllium sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com

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