A new Defense Ministry pilot for the South includes fortified physical barriers and rapid-response teams.

By Yaakov Lappin, JNS

After years of neglecting the territorial-defense concept, Israel is returning to it with the launch of a new Defense Ministry pilot for western Negev communities located near Gaza, the head of defense research center recently told JNS.

Professor Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), spoke after the Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 13 the launch of a pilot program “to boost security in Gaza-border communities significantly.”

This strategic initiative “is focused on fortifying physical defenses, enhancing local rapid-response teams and integrating advanced technological defense solutions,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Inbar said, “They are in effect going back to the territorial-defense concept that has been neglected in recent years. It was also neglected in the years that followed the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Territorial defense is the first line of defense in the absence of strategic depth.”

Inbar criticized what he described as the years of neglect that saw the Israel Defense Forces “forgetting the importance of territory,” and becoming instead “addicted to the concept that holds that air power and precise intelligence solve the problems. This is why they also neglected the ground forces.”

He additionally criticized the senior IDF command for the failure to understand that territory “and its characteristics are important in battle and war. Each time, only an attack and the conquest of territory by the enemy serves as a reminder that territory is important.”

In its announcement, the Defense Ministry, in partnership with the Tekuma Authority (which was established in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre to rehabilitate the western Negev), the IDF and the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, initiated the pilot.

The program is currently underway in five frontline communities near the Gaza border, the Ministry said, and “will soon be extended to all key communities in the region. With a budget provided by the Tekuma Authority, the program is a proactive response to the events of Oct. 7, designed to restore safety and confidence as residents return to their homes.”

The security plan 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, according to the Ministry.

“This network will link local rapid-response teams directly with regional councils and IDF command centers,” it added.

The pilot’s official launch was marked by a simulation exercise on Aug. 12, attended by senior defense officials, including the Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir,  the outgoing head of the Gaza Division,  Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, and representatives from the Tekuma Authority, the Home Front Command and other military officers.

Zamir stated during the exercise, “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 Oct. 7, are a cornerstone of this initiative. We are committed to continuing their training and providing them with the most advanced tools and resources.”

Prime Minister’s Office Director General Yossi Shelley, the acting head of the Tekuma Authority, added, “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 ($193.5 million) in defense systems and supplementary measures, and we remain dedicated to providing the highest level of security for these communities.”

Itamar Revivo, head of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, described the pilot program as a vital element of life for those living on the Gaza border.

Meanwhile, within Gaza, the IDF has been developing a security (buffer) zone approximately a kilometer (0.6 miles) wide, designed to give a complete picture to the military of activities overground and underground near the Israeli border.

The zone could see the IDF conduct patrols years into the future, and feature a deep canal to cut off underground terror tunnels, a concrete wall barrier, another fence with electronic alert sensors and, finally, a large border barrier, for a total of four separate obstacles, in addition to the physical barriers being set up on Israeli territory as part of the new pilot program.

It remains unclear whether the Cabinet will instruct the IDF to plant mines along the Gazan side of the border to help defend the communities of the western Negev.