As Israel prepares for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group to escalate the conflict in the North, efforts have been made to ready both the civilian and military population. Part of those efforts were made by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), which distributed medical supplies on Friday to northern communities to use in cases of a mass-casualty event, the fellowship stated in a release.
More than 500 first aid responder kits were reportedly delivered to northern communities at a cost of NIS 1.25 million as part of the over $75 million donation package IFCJ has made to Israeli communities since October 7.
The IFCJ noted that this latest project ensured that 33 communities in the Golan municipal council were outfitted with these kits at a cost of NIS 82,500.
The large donation package has included the purchase and installation of nearly 200 mobile shelter units, which are now in place across the northern region alongside nine protected vehicles used by senior community security officials, the organization added.
This enables them to respond to emergencies even under the continued rocket threat. Other allocations include emergency response and personal safety equipment used by the Rapid Response Teams.
The donations come as Iran promised to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh - an assassination which Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for.
Why has IFCJ made this donation?
IFCJ President Yael Eckstein said, “Since the very early days of the war, our focus has been on ensuring that we were doing everything possible to protect Israel’s citizens and improve civil defense. Particularly along the northern border, we know that we need to act aggressively to respond to all types of new threats. This includes investing in new medical response equipment with the knowledge that mass casualty emergencies may very well be a common occurrence in the event of an escalation. As always, we know that our work is only possible due to the support and shared vision of our hundreds of thousands of friends all over the world who allow us to continue this life-saving work.”
Safwan Marich, Director of the Security and Emergency Response Division for the IFCJ, added, “In coordination with the relevant agencies and authorities in the field, we identified the distribution of these first aid kits as an area of immediate need based on decreasing supplies, coupled with a growing threat. In the event of a major emergency in these communities, which are often further away from large population centers and hospitals, every minute will count in saving lives.”