US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet Huckabee, visited Magen David Adom’s (MDA) National Headquarters in Ramla on Sunday. They were joined by MDA Global President Gilad Erdan, MDA Director-General Eli Bin, Evangelical charity Samaritan’s Purse Israel Director John Silkman, and other senior MDA officials.
During the visit, Ambassador Huckabee toured MDA’s fortified National Operations Center, which is equipped with some of the most advanced emergency response technologies in the world — many of them developed in-house by MDA. He also met with MDA emergency teams who provided lifesaving care to the wounded during Operation Rising Lion.
The ambassador was introduced to MDA’s specialized fleet of emergency vehicles, including mobile intensive care buses, Unimog casualty evacuation trucks, Medicycles, off-road units, and more.
Ambassador Huckabee also visited the Marcus National Blood Services Center — the world’s first secure, underground facility of its kind — which collects, tests, and distributes blood units to hospitals across Israel and the IDF. In addition, he toured MDA’s Sussman Human Milk Bank, which provides essential nutrition to premature and ill infants whose mothers are unable to nurse.
At the conclusion of the visit, both the ambassador and his wife donated blood.
Ambassador Hucakbee said, “There is one thing in common among all the people who make this organization so extraordinary and life-saving — they all share the same goal: to save lives, regardless of religion, language, or nationality. That’s what makes this organization so special, and that deserves recognition and gratitude.”
Erdan added, “I believe that after the recent operation in Iran, it became clearer — not only to Israelis but to people around the world — that Magen David Adom is truly the backbone of Israel’s resilience. These incredible people — our paramedics, teams, and volunteers — were everywhere within seconds. While everyone else ran into shelters, our teams ran out to save lives.”
MDA Director-General Bin stated, “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the United States and its leadership for their unwavering support over the years. The past two weeks have been critical for Israel. MDA teams rose to the challenge heroically, operating under fire with a deep sense of mission to save lives. Mr. Ambassador, your contribution to saving lives here is significant. We thank you, Ambassador Huckabee, for your great love and appreciation for the State of Israel. The capabilities you saw today — most of them are made possible thanks to the generous support of Magen David Adom’s friends in the United States. This partnership enables us to continue saving lives. We are deeply grateful for your visit and your support.”