On the morning of October 7th 2023, Hamas terrorists opened a barbaric attack which caught us off guard and left many Yishuvim (villages) near the Gaza border fighting for their lives. Heavily armed and well-trained, these fanatic jihadists breached our communities, with the intent to abuse, murder and kidnap innocent people from their homes on Shabbat morning.
Communities that were fortunate enough to have well-organized and equipped Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) – Kitot Konenut, managed to fend off the attackers and contain the situation with relatively low casualties. Their heroism and sacrifice shifted the balance of power and demonstrated that the safety of our communities depends on our own preparedness and resilience.
Since that fateful day, the frequency and brutality of terrorist attacks against innocent civilians all over Israel have only increased. It has become clear, that our safety and security are in our hands. CERTs have proven to be crucial in responding to home defense scenarios and a wide variety of threats, until national forces arrive. In the wake of the Oct 7th , hundreds of CERTs have been established across kibbutzim, moshavim, small communities and urban areas,
grouping thousands of volunteers.
In each CERT
Active along The borders of Israel
Subject to Magav and local police
In hundreds of CERTs all over Israel
In response to the events of Oct 7th, we recognized CERTs as a vital force in protecting Israeli civilians and established The Hineni Forum – A central organization for Israel’s CERTs which operates to strengthen and support these teams through:
