Reverend Franklin Graham holding a pictured of slain American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin in an ambulance donated to Magen David Adom (Photo courtesy of Eliral Avital/Magen David Adom)
Samaritan’s Purse, an Evangelical humanitarian aid organization in the United States, announced its commitment to donate 28 armored ambulances to Israel’s national emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA) on Thursday.
The donation comes in addition to dozens of life-saving vehicles that were previously purchased since Oct. 7, including 14 rescue ambulances that replaced those destroyed by Hamas during the initial onslaught.
Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, surprised MDA with the announcement when he attended the cornerstone ceremony for a new ambulance station in the community of Avshalom, on the Gaza Border.
Reverend Franklin Graham in front of an ambulance donated to Magen David Adom (Photo courtesy of Eliral Avital/Magen David Adom)
He dedicated two armored ambulances in the memory of three American-Israelis killed by Hamas: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Roi Idan and Smadar Mor-Idan.
Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage from the Nova Music Festival and murdered 11 months later in Gaza. Roi Idan and his wife Smadar were murdered in their home in front of their children. Their four-year-old daughter, Avigail Idan, was later taken hostage in Gaza, while her older siblings survived the attack by hiding in a closet for 12 hours.
“Today we are in Israel to dedicate the two armored ambulances that have just arrived, as well as a new ambulance center near the Gaza border where there has not been one before,” said Graham. “The need is so great, we have just committed to providing 28 more armored ambulances. The MDA team are heroes, saving lives every day, and it is an honor to stand with them.”
A second ambulance station will be established thanks to Samaritan’s Purse in Shlomi, a town adjacent to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
“The generosity of Reverend Franklin Graham and his organization Samaritan’s Purse knows no bounds,” said Eli Bin, director-general of Magen David Adom. “The entire people of Israel are indebted to this great man and organization.”
