A prominent Christian evangelical organization in Jerusalem has renovated 140 underground bomb shelters in the Upper Galilee as intermittent Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon continue for the third straight month, the group announced on Monday.
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem funded the $775,000 project, refurbishing 73 shelters in the town of Shlomi and 67 in the city of Ma’alot-Tarshiha, both near the northern border.
The shelters had fallen into disrepair since they were last used during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, with deficiencies including a lack of proper lighting, ventilation and plumbing.
Nine portable above-ground bomb shelters were also delivered to Shlomi with the Christian Zionist group’s financial assistance, and an additional nine are in the works.
Shlomi and Ma’alot-Tarshiha are among the communities evacuated when Hezbollah began firing on northern Israel, 10 days after the war with Hamas broke out in the south when the Palestinian terrorist group invaded the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7.
The ICEJ, the largest evangelical organization in the Holy Land, has worked on behalf of the Jewish state for four decades. Many evangelical Christians believe that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land is foretold in the scriptures and heralds the coming of the messiah.
“On behalf of Christians around the world, we want to help the residents of vulnerable communities on Israel’s border feel secure enough to return to their homes as soon as possible,” said ICEJ spokesman David Parsons. “The Jewish nation and people are facing hatred and threats here and around the world, but our love for Israel is greater still.”