bDr. Yaqoub Abu El-Rob, a Palestinian doctor fleeing Ukraine, and his family found refuge with Chabad in Anatevka, a village west of Kyiv, where HaRav Moshe Azman is providing shelters for hundreds of Jews and non-Jews, i24NEWS reported.

The El-Rob family from Jenine has been living in the city of Irpin, near Kyiv, for the past few years. As the shelling in Kyiv and the surrounding areas intensified, they were forced to abandon their home. The problem was that they had nowhere to go.

Dr. El-Rob told i24 that he heard about the village from his wife’s family. Although they didn’t know if they would be welcomed there, they had no other options and he began the trip, which normally takes only a half-hour, with his wife and two children.

“We didn’t know what to expect but we drove there amid the sound of gunshots around us. I didn’t dare drive fast. We encountered five different Ukrainian checkpoints.”

When they arrived there after two hours, he said “they very generously welcomed us, helped us. They offered us food and drink and other available supplies.”

When asked how he explains this unusual show of solidarity between Jews and Arabs, he responded: “This wave of solidarity is very visible during wartime. There’s no difference. All residents are treated the same – Arabs, Ukrainians, and Jews. ”

The report added that Dr. El-Rob complained that the Palestinian Authority and Arab states showed no concern about helping them or other refugees.

It should be noted that Israeli diplomats have also been assisting numerous Arabs who were studying in Ukraine to cross the border into Moldova, mostly Israeli-Arabs but some from the PA as well and even the Gaza Strip. They even assisted friends of the Israeli-Arabs who are Arab citizens of other countries, including Egypt, and countries with whom Israel does not maintain ties, such as Lebanon and Syria.

Below is a photo of a student from the Gaza Strip posted on Twitter by former US ambassador David Friedman, who wrote: “A Gazan student studying in Ukraine fled when the war began. He crossed the border to Moldova and saw two Hatzalah volunteers with an Israeli flag draped on their car. Seeing the flag, he immediately sought their help and they are getting him home. Can’t make this up!”

Israel is one of the only countries with diplomatic officials stationed at border crossing to assist their citizens. Below are several videos of Muslims thanking Israel for their assistance at the border and praising them for not abandoning their citizens.

Just listen to the Moroccan who is stuck at the border praising Israel for its efforts to rescue its citizens — Arabs and Jews.

pic.twitter.com/26m4KmgaVp

— יוסף חדאד – Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) March 1, 2022

רגע של אחווה בגבול אוקראינה – פולין: מתנדבים ישראלים נתנו אוכל לסטודנט מרוקני שנמלט מהעיר חרקוב המופגזת pic.twitter.com/ljdMtXDXJa

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) March 1, 2022

מחמם את הלב.
נהג מוסלמי באוקראינה עוקב אחרי אמבולנס של הצלה אוקראינה ומשבח יהודים שלא מפקירים את אחיהם.

הכי אחי בעולם💖💕👍👏

קרדיט: הצלה אוקראינה pic.twitter.com/ebV2g5kHic

— חרדים10 (@charedim10) March 2, 2022

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)