With tensions rising on Israel’s border with Lebanon due to recent provocations by Hezbollah, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is mobilizing to help protect vulnerable towns and villages in northern Israel.
This includes placing six new portable bomb shelters and refurbishing 53 existing shelters in the Israeli border town of Shlomi, home to 9,000 residents.
A recent government study found that the north lacks adequate shelters for its growing population, especially given the terror organization’s vast arsenal of more than 200,000 missiles, rockets and mortars. Local officials are working to upgrade existing bomb shelters and add new ones.
Thanks to a Swiss Christian family, over the past week the ICEJ delivered six new bomb shelters to Shlomi, which was struck by a rocket on the first day of Passover that landed in a busy intersection next to a synagogue and bank. These newest shelters are being placed in public areas to serve the entire community, including playgrounds and kindergartens.
Funds are also going to refurbish 53 existing underground shelters in Shlomi. The work will involve sealing water leaks; fixing faulty electrical networks; installing new lighting, water pumps and drainage systems; and adding fans for improved ventilation.
The ICEJ has worked with its partner, Operation LifeShield, for more than a decade to supply some 200 bomb shelters to vulnerable Israel communities. Most have gone to towns and villages along the Gaza border, which face frequent rocket attacks from Hamas.
Local officials were practically gleeful at the quick response. Asaf Gaveh, chief of security for Shlomi, said: “We’re simply not accustomed to asking for something—and then getting it!”