Amid more than 150 rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has launched an operation to distribute hundreds of protective vests to emergency-response units operating in Gaza, in addition to rescue and civilian-assistance agencies in the southern region.
The undertaking on the part of the Fellowship was prepared in accordance with a program that was arranged in advance and in coordination with Israel’s Home Front Command and the heads of authorities in relevant areas. It was tailored to meet the specific needs that were defined by the respective security officer in each locality.
During the first phase of the operation, the Fellowship will provide 500 protective vests to be distributed in the cities of Sderot, Ashkelon, Beersheva, Netivot, Ofakim, Ashdod and Bnei Ayish, as well as in the regional councils of Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon, Sdot Negev and Sha’ar HaNegev.
The Fellowship has said that if necessary, the operation will be expanded in coordination with the heads of authorities and the Home Front Command.
In recent years, the organization has invested tens of millions of dollars provided by donors towards enhancing security for civilians near Gaza in Israel’s south, including the deployment of mobile shelters, the refurbishing of bomb shelters, the acquisition of surveillance drones, the construction of resilience centers and the protection of hospitals.