Two Israelis, dressed in olive-green uniforms similar to those of soldiers, peer around the side of a beige building. They each hold rifles as they scan for enemies. Then, they advance, keeping to the side of the building until they reach the end of a wall and have to peer around to check their surroundings.
The two Israelis are members of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s security team, which is known as the Kitat Konenut. They are civilian volunteers who help protect Israeli communities, and they are trained to confront terrorist threats.
However, on October 7, many of the communities on the Gaza border, such as Nir Oz, found themselves overrun by dozens of terrorists. Of around 400 residents of Nir Oz present at the Kibbutz on October 7, 69 were killed either in the attack or after being taken hostage. A total of 76 people were taken hostage. Nir Oz has since become a symbol of the tragedy of October 7. Today, the community is trying to recover, and a key to recovery is making people feel safe and secure again
On May 4, the new security team was partaking in a training program run by a group called Magen 48. Ehud Dribben, co-founder of Magen 48, described how his organization is training security teams on the Gaza border and across Israel. He has done this for decades, and Magen 48 is the result of his long background in both security and war.
“Magen was established to stop the next October 7,” Dribben says. “On October 7, I saw the communities that had security teams that were prepared survived. Those that didn’t were wiped out. My life mission is to train every city, every village, every town in Israel so that, when the next October 7 comes, they will be ready.”
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Ari Briggs, also a co-founder of Magen 48, notes, “We learned on October 7, we can’t wait for help; we need to help ourselves.” He says Magen 48 is now building a national training center for volunteer security teams.
“We have trained 67 communities, 1,500 local security [personnel],” Briggs says.
The training program for communities near Gaza includes eight sessions per year. Many of these communities suffered grievous losses, and they were shocked by how long it took the IDF to reach them. For instance, at Nir Oz, the IDF didn’t come for more than six hours. By the time they arrived, hundreds of terrorists had left the community, dragging off dozens of hostages. The teams’ current training is designed to rebuild trust in the IDF and to bring people back to Nir Oz and other border communities.
On May 4, the Nir Oz team was conducting its second round of training as per the Magen 48 program. This was the first time they were training inside the community that they may one day need to protect. Some may find it jarring to watch soldiers running around with rifles, repelling a mock attack. It may bring up traumatic memories.
Most of the residents of Nir Oz have not returned. There are no young children here, nor are there functioning schools. As such, it will take time to rebuild the community's security needs and to show people they are safe here. The training on May 4 is a key part of rebuilding both the community and the security that it will need.
As the security team worked to secure a pathway near a building, they worked in pairs. The chief trainer of Magen 48, Hofni Danin, spoke to the security team about what they needed to improve. He asked them pointed questions about whether they had checked every corner and kept within sight of their colleagues who were bounding up near them. He spoke with the directness necessary to impress upon the team the life-or-death situation they were preparing for.