U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet Huckabee, visited Magen David Adom’s (MDA) National Headquarters in Ramla on Sunday. Also in attendance was 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, the ambassador toured MDA’s fortified National Operations Center, equipped with some of the world’s most advanced technologies, developed in-house by MDA. He also met with MDA emergency teams who provided lifesaving treatment to the injured in the field during Operation “Rising Lion.”
Ambassador Huckabee was shown MDA’s specialized emergency vehicles, including mobile intensive care buses, Unimog casualty evacuation trucks, emergency Medicycles, off-road vehicles, and more.
The Ambassador also visited MDA’s Marcus National Blood Services Center — the world’s first secure, underground facility of its kind, which collects, tests, and supplies blood units to hospitals throughout Israel and the IDF — as well as MDA’s Sussman Human Milk Bank, which provides milk for premature and ill infants whose mothers are unable to nurse.
At the end of the visit, the Ambassador and his wife donated blood.
“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,” Huckabee said.
“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,” said MDA Global President Gilad Erdan. “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.”
Eli Bin, director-general of MDA remarked: “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 supporters of Magen David Adom, especially from the United States. The steadfast support of our American friends has given us the means to save lives. I welcome the strong partnership between Magen David Adom and the United States and thank you for coming here today.”
Watch a video of Ambassador Huckabee’s visit:
