One of the protective vests
One of the protective vestsIFCJ

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ, or Keren L'Yedidut) has launched an operation to distribute hundreds of protective vests to emergency response units operating in the Gaza border area as well as 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 the IDF'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, Be'er Sheva, Netivot, Ofakim, Ashdod, 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 local authorities and the Home Front Command.

In recent years, The Fellowship has invested tens of millions of dollars provided by donors towards enhancing security for the civilians in the Gaza border region and in southern Israel. Some of the measures include deployment of mobile shelters, refurbishing bomb shelters, the acquisition of surveillance drones, the construction of regional resilience centers and the protection of hospitals.