The Christian humanitarian-aid organization run by the son of the late Southern Baptist minister, Billy Graham, donated 14 ambulances to Magen David Adom (MDA) on Tuesday.
The ambulances replaced the same number destroyed on October 7 during the Hamas massacre.
“MDA has to have the right equipment to do its work to save lives here in Israel,” said Franklin Graham, the president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse.
“I believe in this organization. You risk your life to save life, and I felt that these ambulances needed to be replaced immediately,” Graham added. “We pray that these ambulances will bring comfort to the people of Israel, knowing that someone can respond to any crisis, so we thank God, and we thank God for MDA.”
Graham first announced that Samaritan’s Purse would donate the ambulances in November during a visit to the country. He had toured Kibbutz Be’eri, where 100 people were murdered, and witnessed the devastation there. He also learned on that trip how the terrorists purposely targeted responders and ambulances.
The dedication was held at the National Library of Israel plaza, where the ambulances were parked. The ceremony also commemorated the four MDA medics who were murdered while actively treating patients or were en route to the attack area on October 7, as well as another 15 MDA medics who have subsequently been killed in the war, mostly serving as IDF medics.
Each ambulance is dedicated to a deceased MDA medic
Each of the 14 ambulances was dedicated in memory of an MDA medic whose family members attended the ceremony. Inscriptions of the fallen medics’ names and accompanying Bible verses were inscribed on the doors of the ambulances.
Family and friends got the chance to see and touch their loved one’s memorial ambulance for the first time on Tuesday.
“These are not just vehicles, but a symbol of life, courage, and hope,” said Ophir Levy, father of 19-year-old Lior Levy, whom Hamas killed. “Every time an ambulance goes on a mission, it will be like Lior and her friends are still helping and saving lives.”
Graham told The Jerusalem Post that he prayed for each family and spoke with them.
“There were a lot of heavy hearts,” Graham said. “I tried to comfort them as best as I could.”
The ceremony was also attended by Yaakov Blitshtein, the director-general of Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, and Magen David Adom Director-General Eli Bin.In addition to the 14 ambulances, Samaritan’s Purse is donating seven armored ambulances to MDA, which are still in production and are expected to be delivered this spring. Graham said that if first responders are asked to work on the border, they must be protected.Moreover, Graham announced on Thursday that Samaritan’s Purse would continue to assist MDA by working with local municipalities to provide new ambulance stations in some communities that are constantly at risk.So far, the organization has provided 18,500 food boxes, nearly 4,000 hot meals, and more than 18,000 food vouchers to families in need. It also delivered 1,000 Advanced Trauma Life Support kits. Graham said he is hoping to donate horses to Sderot that will be used for horse therapy for local children.A Samaritan’s Purse disaster assistance response team has been deployed across Israel since shortly after the war began.“People are afraid,” Graham said. “There are some real problems this country is facing, and we hope to try to help as much as we can.”Catherine L. Reed, CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom, commented on Graham’s gifts: “At a time when the Israeli people – and Jews around the world – are feeling alone, this donation is so meaningful. It’s a testament to the fact that amid all the protests and the increase in antisemitism, the people of Israel and the worldwide Jewish community have friends they can count on.”Graham, 71, is the second child of the late preacher.Billy Graham’s children, including the well-known Anne Graham Lotz, are passionate Evangelical Christians. However, Graham said that the younger generation of Evangelicals is less tied to the Jewish state.
“Younger people today – and I think this is a problem throughout the United States – they do not know history. They know very little about the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel, or that Israel, more than 75 years ago, came back to life fulfilling God’s prophecy,” Graham said. “Young people don’t know the Bible like their mothers and fathers did.”He added that the war in Gaza is not over and that (the confrontation with Hezbollah in) “Lebanon will have to be settled at some point.” As such, he said, Israelis should know “there are millions of people in the United States who support Israel, not only with prayer but with finances.”