Hundreds of residents from Israel's North plead not be be evacuated from Jerusalem hotel

15 families, totaling over 200 people, from different communities in Israel's North, have been told that they must vacate the rooms they have been staying in at the Yehuda Hotel in Jerusalem by July 1, the FIRM Organization said on Wednesday, calling on the government for assistance.

The families staying at the hotel have been there since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and were told that they should return to the settlements they came from, located near Lebanon's border.

The communities that the families are from include Avdon, Manot, Elkosh, and the Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council.

FIRM is a non-profit organization based in Jerusalem with a mission to assist Israel. The organization operates in the spirit of God's love and aims to connect Christian champions of Israel worldwide to come here, help, and contribute to the people of Israel," the organization said. 

According to FIRM, the Israeli government is obligated to fund their stay but has avoided responsibility in doing so for months by claiming that the settlement Avdon is  3.7 km from the border, not 3.5 as required by the government’s 975 decision to allow for funding. 

However, surveyors appointed by the Defense Ministry determined that the settlement is indeed 3.5 km from the Lebanese border, as the residents claim. 

The evacuees, represented by attorney Dkia Nassimi,  petitioned the High Court of Justice regarding the matter back in February when the government refused to fund their stay. Yet, no ruling has been made regarding the matter.

"This coming Sunday, we are all supposed to leave the Yehuda Hotel, and we have nowhere to go," Nassimi explained. 

"Avdon is an abandoned settlement next to the Lebanese border. It’s an army camp. We have no reinforced rooms in our homes, and there is constant fire from drones and mortars. We will be canon fodder and sitting ducks there, and our biggest fear is being kidnapped," she continued. 

"I am pleading on behalf of the residents, some of whom are elderly, disabled, and have many traumatized children. The government must provide us with a solution and allow us to continue staying here at the hotel. I am a single mother to a disabled infant. Where will I go?" Nassimi asked.

Who has been funding the evacuees?

Instead of government funding, since the start of the war, the FIRM organization has funded the evacuees' stay at the Yehuda Hotel. Donations were raised from hundreds of Christian communities in 80 countries worldwide, especially from the USA and Canada.

"When someone you love needs help, you immediately step up to help them," explained Michael Mistretta, head of the delegation and CEO of the FIRM organization. "We are part of thousands of Christians who love Israel and provide support, especially during wartime, saying to the people of Israel, 'We are with you and beside you.'"