The Defense Ministry in partnership with the Tekuma Authority, the IDF, and the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, on Tuesday announced a NIS 715 million pilot program to boost security in Gaza border communities.
According to the ministry, “This strategic initiative is focused on fortifying physical defenses, enhancing local rapid-response teams, and integrating advanced technological defense solutions.”
Homed in on five frontline communities near the Gaza border, the ministry said that the pilot will soon be extended to all key communities in the region.
The ministry declined to answer when questioned by The Jerusalem Post about which communities are among the five and about when the program will be extended to the dozens of other Gaza border communities.
It may be declining to answer to avoid Hamas knowing which communities have the initial additional protections or to avoid the sensitive politics of the fact that it has chosen certain communities over others first. Further, the program, with the best of intentions, could have rollout complications.
The ministry viewed the large budget provided by the Tekuma Authority as “a proactive response to the events of October 7, designed to restore safety and confidence as residents return to their homes.”
New security plan
As maintained by the ministry, “This comprehensive security plan has been meticulously developed over recent months. It includes measures to reinforce local rapid-response teams, upgrade physical barriers such as fences and gates, and deploy state-of-the-art technologies like drones, command centers, and a specialized civilian communication network.”
Further, “this network will link local rapid-response teams directly with regional councils and IDF command centers.”It was unclear how the new systems hooking up civilian to military networks would avoid additional risks of cyber attacks on the military networks, which are usually closed off from more vulnerable civilian ones.
Senior officials, including the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Mickey Edelstein, Brig.-Gen. Avi Rosenfeld and other defense representatives attended the event where a simulation exercise of, then the launch itself of the new initiative took place.
Zamir stated, “Following the defense minister’s directive, we are implementing an operational concept with a strong civilian focus to restore security and trust among the residents. The rapid-response teams, which demonstrated exceptional bravery on October 7, are a cornerstone of this initiative. We are committed to continuing their training and providing them with the most advanced tools and resources available.”
Acting head of the Tekuma Authority Yossi Shelley said, “The launch of this new security pilot is a significant step forward in ensuring peace and personal safety for the residents in the region. So far, the Tekuma Authority has invested approximately NIS 715 million in defense systems and supplementary measures, and we remain dedicated to providing the highest level of security for these communities.”
The head of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, Itamar Revivo, thanked Maj.-Gen. (res.) Roni Numa, Edelstein, and the members of the local rapid-response teams.
IDF continues strikes on Hamas and Hezbollah
Meanwhile, Hamas attempted to fire two rockets at Tel Aviv and central Israel on Tuesday but failed. One landed in the Mediterranean Sea while the other did cross past the border of the Gaza Strip.
Citizens in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel did hear sounds of explosions, which initially created confusion, but then the IDF clarified the situation.
According to the army, the rocket that landed in the ocean was immediately detected. So, the IDF did not activate any alarms because it was apparent from the start that the missile was headed toward the sea.
Likewise, no siren was sounded for the second detected rocket because it did not cross into Israeli territory.Shortly after the rockets were fired, Hamas claimed responsibility and tried to spin the failed rocket attack into a success story.
For example, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida, in a statement on the terrorist group’s Telegram channel, claimed that the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades “bombarded Tel Aviv and its suburbs with two M90 missiles [long-range rocket reaching 90 km.] in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians and the deliberate displacement of our people.”
In contrast, IDF sources have suggested that in many instances like the current one, Hamas will fire off rockets even if it has no chance of hitting anything – rather than allow them to be captured by nearby IDF forces, such as IDF Division 98 which is currently maneuvering in Khan Yunis.
As for this region in southern Gaza, the IDF said on Tuesday that a drone struck a separate Hamas terrorist cell which had fired a rocket on Israel’s Ein Hashlosha Gaza border village on Monday.
Additional air force strikes also hit a variety of other terrorist sites and groups in the area.
IDF Division 98 invaded Khan Yunis for a third time on August 8 and on Monday killed several Hamas terrorists.Previously, the IDF had invaded Khan Yunis from December until April, withdrew from it for three months, then invaded again for around a week at the end of July, briefly withdrew again, then reinvaded it only 8 days later.In Rafah in deep southern Gaza, IDF Division 162 located weapons and intelligence materials on Monday.
Regarding the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, IDF Reservist Division 252 coordinated strikes against a variety of Hamas positions, including rocket launchers, snipers, and lookout posts.
In the North, the IDF shot down two Hezbollah attack drones, one which had just invaded Israel’s airspace and the other just before it did.
Overnight between Monday and Tuesday, the air force struck Hezbollah assets in four different areas of Southern Lebanon.
Despite these smaller-level altercations, tensions remain high for a potentially much larger attack by Hezbollah in retaliation for the IDF’s assassination of its military chief Fuad Shukr on July 30.