Israel will create an anti-terrorism unit to operate in areas close to the border with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced this Wednesday.
The Israeli military revealed that this unit will be called “Lotar Otef” and will be made up of reservists, veterans and former members of elite units who reside in the area.
The statement published today on the Army’s official portal highlights that the creation of the new unit results “from the lessons learned from the first field investigations into the events of October 7th”, 2023.
“The mission of this unit is to provide a rapid response to terrorist incidents originating from the Gaza Strip”, adds the note.
“Members of the unit will receive training and will be trained to be qualified combatants to face challenges”, says the statement, noting that “hundreds of people” have already applied to participate in the training process .
The commander of the unit, whose name has not yet been revealed, says in the statement that “the formation of this unit at this time reflects the essence of the History of Israel, from destruction to rebirth” stressing that, after After the “coup” suffered on October 7th, there has been a “social reunification” movement in the country.
Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza, following attacks by Hamas.
The offensive left more than 36,500 dead and around 83,000 injured, according to figures released by the authorities in the enclave, controlled by Hamas.
Additionally, 520 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces and settler attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
