October 15, 2023

ITC Update: Operation Iron Swords

The IDF has so far notified the families of 126 hostages that their loved ones are being held in Gaza.

100 out of 400 residents of Nir Oz alone are dead or missing.

IDF is preparing to execute a wide-ranging offensive against the Hamas terrorist organization, including coordinated attacks from the air, sea, and land. Battalions and soldiers are deployed throughout the country and waiting on the border.

Northern Front: The IDF reported that dozens of mortar shells were fired on Saturday afternoon from Lebanon toward the Har Dov military camp, some of which crossed into Israeli territory. Two people were critically injured due to an ammunition explosion in the northern city of Nahariya. One person is dead and another three others were wounded in a rocket or missile strike in the northern town of Shtula on the Lebanon border. The Israel Defense Forces says it is “isolating the area” of up to 4 kilometers from the Lebanon border, instructing civilians not to enter.  Meanwhile, residents living in communities up to 2 kilometers from the Lebanon border are ordered to remain close to bomb shelters until further notice.

Southern Front:  Rocket alerts are sounding in a number of Gaza border towns, including Sderot, which is currently being evacuated ahead of a possible Gaza ground operation. Earlier today, a rocket hit a house in Sderot and sparked a fire. The municipality emphasizes that evacuation is not mandatory, but that it recommends residents leave the area. Residents are being moved to hotels all over the country .

ITC on the ground

In a heartbreaking plea, veterans of the Yom Kippur War, those who fought in Israel’s most devastating war and suffered severe trauma, are appealing to authorities not to wait before they treat soldiers and civilians alike for psychological damage.

In coordination with our partners, the GOI, key government ministries, Home Front Command and the  Missing Persons Task Force, ITC is working with several groups and the teams supporting them including ZAKA, MDA and other First Responders, hospital teams and crisis response teams. It is of critical importance, that efforts are coordinated and streamlined-no gaps or replication of services.

ITC with its partners has established a National Resilience Center that will provide therapeutic sessions to those who reside in places where there are no resilience centers

In a remarkable display of profound dedication and resiliency, none of the three dozen people volunteering at the Israel Defense Forces’ Shura base near Ramle who have seen the most horrible human remains of the massacre has asked to be replaced. The facility is ordinarily run by the IDF Chief Rabbinate that takes care of soldiers who have been killed in battle. Among those present now are pathologists, Zaka volunteers, dentists, photographers, IDF Chief Rabbinate staffers, Home Front Command soldiers, and representatives of the Health and Social Welfare Ministries. A social worker stationed there calls the Shura base “a sane place. It has an air of holiness. Nobody working here cries. They supply support with great sensitivity. This strengthens us. It’s hard to sleep, but we will feel the trauma later, when our job is all over. We will work until we finish,”

As these workers inherently understand and feel, these atrocities will forever be etched as a national trauma.  But the real effects will come later. Currently, we are not seeing a post-traumatic reaction, but what is called an ‘acute reaction to the situation. ITC is providing support

This initial stress response stems from uncertainty, the fear that terrorists are still roaming around Israel, and  whether there are plans for further infiltration perhaps in the North. With victims still being identified, it is not clear when a full list will be known. There are many people missing, and there are questions about whether they will be found or whether they will be assumed to have been kidnapped to Gaza. This uncertainty raises feelings of insecurity and in turn levels of anxiety.

The absence of certain authorities in the days that followed, when many desperately searched for their relatives and did not receive any response from an official, was a destabilizing factor for them and for  the entire country. From a young age we are taught to call rescue agencies, that they would come to save us, and here for many hours no-one came. There is a huge breach of trust, which is part of the trauma.

As the days pass , we understand, the enormous task ahead of us. The immediate, intermediate, and long-term needs are massive.

We will continue to keep you updated