Christians are contributing at an all-time high to Israel’s relief efforts.

Millions of dollars have been donated to various ministries that supply emergency supplies and security equipment in case of future attacks as a result of the ongoing conflict in Israel. For financial support, these organisations have looked to Christians in the US and around the world; since the start of the conflict, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) has received millions of dollars in donations.

Within days of the October 7 bombardment, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the biggest pro-Israel group in the US, sent $1 million to support first responders and is still raising money.

Joel Rosenberg, a Christian author, founded the Joshua Fund, which has raised over $685,000 in donations and is running 21 aid distribution centres where pallets of supplies like bottled water and toilet paper are delivered. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is in a good position to react fast because it has worked and developed relationships in Israel for years, but they are also affected negatively by their close proximity.

Witnessing the people who had been the leaders and the helpers turn into the victims is one of the most difficult aspects of organising help this time. Vice President David Parsons of ICEJ said that when Israel started identifying the dead, he was able to identify Ofir Libstein, the head of the regional council for the kibbutzim, or small communities, in the border region that Hamas was targeting. During its Feast of Tabernacles celebration two days prior to the attack, ICEJ had brought approximately 700 Christians from all over the world to the area, where Libstein welcomed them. Parsons said that after Libstein had inquired about ICEJ’s return for the following year, he had promised to “do everything in my power to keep this beautiful area so you can visit us again.”

The Christian organisation Philos Project, which promotes pluralism in the Middle East, has taken over 11,000–12,000 people to the kibbutzim in the vicinity of Gaza on a regular basis. This includes college students travelling there as part of its Passages Israel pilgrimage. For the benefit of the few hundred families residing in the Hamas-ransacked towns of Kfar Aza and Netiv Haasara, they started an online fundraising campaign. With a matching gift, they have raised around $325,000, and with donations from other foundations, they plan to give a total of $500,000 to be distributed by village leaders.

The approach taken by evangelicals towards Israel is typically theological rather than political; of US evangelicals, 51% hold the belief that Jews are God’s chosen people, and they are the most likely to prioritise their charHigher levels of support were also demonstrated by charismatics, regular Bible readers, and white and Latino evangelicalsSince the borders to Gaza are closed, some Christian organisations have continued to provide aid to Palestinians and other people in the region, frequently through local partners. borders to Gaza are blocked.

The war has impacted ministry in the West Bank, according to Pastor Munir Kakish, president of the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land, who spoke with Baptist Standard. Joshua Fund is mobilising to provide trauma counselling and aiding Arab churches in the West Bank. World Vision also provides safe spaces and psychological support for families in the West Bank and other areas where displaced people require assistance.

More than $700,000 in relief has already been sent to the area through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Send Relief initiative. The funds raised by these ministries help to pay for necessities following a disaster, including clothing, toys, food, housing, toiletries, and medical attention for survivors and evacuees. While aid efforts remain concentrated on providing for the displaced, they are also stepping up security measures in anticipation of potential escalation along the northern border with Lebanon.