‘I want to make a difference:’ Miami Beach firefighters deploy to Israel amid war against Hamas

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach dispatched a group of eight firefighters on Monday to help their colleagues in Israel during the war.

Fire Rescue Chief Virgil Fernández said he was proud of the firefighters who volunteered for a two-week deployment and who will be moving around depending on where they are needed.

“I wanted to do something,” Firefighter Adonis Garcia said. “I wanted to make a difference, so I came up with the thought of asking our mayor and commissioners if they would support us and a team going to Israel.”

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber was at the sendoff ceremony that involved the uniformed firefighters and a group of children holding Israeli and U.S. flags.

“They watched as Israeli forces came to help us in the Champlain Towers after that terrible collapse and they felt like this was the place they needed to be,” said Gelber about the June 24, 2021 tragedy killing 98 people in Surfside, just north of Miami Beach.

The Israeli army responded after Hamas killed about 1,400 Israelis and took more than 240 hostages, including U.S. citizens, on Oct. 7. Palestinians reported their death toll was over 10,020, and Israel reported 30 troops were killed during the war.

U.S. President Joe Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for pauses to facilitate humanitarian aid and the rescue of hostages. Biden also deployed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Middle East. Israel is also dealing with attacks from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants.

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