Israel Update 9.2.23

ISRAELI AID FOR TURKEY’S EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

SYNOPSIS: At the time of writing (Thursday afternoon) the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade has rescued 10 Turkish citizens. The IDF has so far sent 15 aircraft filled with hundreds of tons of medical and other supplies, along with a 150-person rescue team and a 230-person medical field hospital team.Read more here

TIMELINE:

On Monday as soon as the earthquakes hit and the scope of the devastation become known, Israel announced it would send search-and-rescue teams and tons of humanitarian aid to Turkey.

By Tuesday, an IDF Home Command team of 150 search-and-rescue personnel was already on the ground and searching through the rubble for survivors.

-Also on Tuesday, Israel said that a request from Syria came for humanitarian aid – supplies, not personnel – and that Israel would also send assistance there. The Syrians, however, later denied that such a request was ever sent.

– On Wednesday, Israel sent to Turkey 230 doctors and medical specialists to operate a field hospital fully equipped with operating rooms, X-ray machines, trauma units and labs.

The head of the IDF Medical Corps, Brig.-Gen. Elon Glassberg said: “The ability to send a hospital to another country is a unique ability…Few countries in the world are able to do such a thing, and we are proud to be the ones to come and help”

– More than two dozen other Israelis from groups like United Hatzalah and IsraAID also arrived on the scene as part of private, nongovernmental initiatives to help the Turks.

GENERAL

“Operation Olive Branch” is the 30th humanitarian aid mission Israel has dispatched abroad in the last 41 years to help countries in the aftermath of everything from devastating earthquakes to typhoons, tsunamis and terrorist attacks. Israeli aid teams have assisted in times of need in locations as diverse as Japan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Romania, Brazil, Albania and even the United States.

EARTHQUAKES IN ISRAEL

Monday’s major earthquakes in Turkey & Syria were also experienced by many people throughout Israel. Read more here

Two minor earthquakes rattled Israel on Wednesday evening measuring 3.3 and 3.9 on the Richter scale, following a 3.5-magnitude tremor on Tuesday night. Read more here

COUNTER TERRORISM

The Israel Security Agency recently disclosed that it had foiled an attempt by Hamas to carry out a bombing attack against Israelis on election day, November 1, using two Arab Israeli men.Read more here

The IDF and Israel Security Agency targeted a Hamas terror cell in Jericho on Sunday night. During the operation, at least five armed terrorists were killed after they opened fire at Israeli forces. On Jan. 18, members of the cell fired at a restaurant in which 30 people were present, but the terrorists’ weapons had jammed and they fled back to Jericho. Read more here

NEWS FROM SHEBA MEDICAL CENTRE

The new Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital was inaugurated on Monday and it will be among the most technologically advanced children’s hospitals in the world. Along with the new medical technology, the hospital will highlight unique early genetic tests and the detection and treatment of rare diseases.

Tens of thousands of Israeli children are treated at Sheba’s existing children’s hospital, as well as hundreds of seriously ill children from the West Bank and Gaza each year. Sheba’s Chief Executive Prof. Yitzchak Kreiss said “…we are a hospital of peace and a beacon of hope not only for the children of Israel, but also for the children of the region, including young people from the West Bank, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, (with whom) we are already dealing.Read more here

A four-day humanitarian medical mission was recently undertaken by physicians at Sheba to provide advanced treatment and training for local specialist medical teams in Bahir Dar, northern Ethiopia. The effort focused on neonatal care and increasing the capacity for long-term quality specialized healthcare, guided by the commitment of Israel’s largest hospital to improving health equity in developing regions, using expertise and technology to impact global healthcare. Read more here

A FIRST FOR SHAARE ZEDEK MEDICAL CENTRE

Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Centre is the first hospital in Israel and Europe and among the first in the world to start valve catheterization to prevent heart failure. Read more here

SOUTH AFRICA

While Israel was granted observer status in 2021, it’s unlikely to be allowed to attend the African Union (AU) annual summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this month as South Africa has reportedly threatened the AU Commission chairperson against admitting Israel. Benji Shulman, of the South African Zionist Federation cited several recent (Israeli) projects to help communities across South Africa and Africa with solar energy, water, and technology, and noted that 46 of the 55 states in Africa have diplomatic relations with Israel. “Logically, Israel’s entry into the organization is simply an extension of what’s happening at the bilateral level.” Read more here

South Africa Rugby announced on Friday that it had withdrawn an invitation to Israeli club Tel Aviv Heat, issued the day before, to compete in a second-tier competition in March. Read more here

DEFENCE

Eurospike a joint venture of Germany’s Rheinmetall Electronics and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and now an industrial mainstay of the anti-tank capability of many EU and NATO member nations, is to deliver Spike fire-and-forget anti-tank precision-guided missiles to Finland in a $242 million sale. Read more here

TRACKING STATION

Tel Aviv University scientists have built the first ground station in Israel, among the most advanced in the world, for tracking and sensing hyperspectral imaging and optical and quantum communication with satellites in orbit around the Earth. Read more here Video here (2 min 11 sec)

FOOD-TECH

Marco Pierre White, one of the UK’s best-known chefs, sings the praises of vegan “meat” produced by Tel Aviv’s Redefine Meat which plans to launch its cook-at-home range (burgers, steak etc) in UK supermarkets this year. Read more here ( The Times article 9.2.23 Paywall) Video: View here (1 min 51 secs)

AGRI-TECH

Israeli startup MetoMotion has developed the first AI robot for picking tomatoes and claims that its driverless machine slashes harevesting costs by 50%. Read more here

Rehovot-based agri-tech start-up Grace Breeding develops biologically-based, efficient, and natural solutions for farmers and distributors that are capable of boosting crop yields while significantly reducing harmful gas emissions. Nitration Fixation Technology (NFT), also referred to as Proprietary Bio-Fertilizer, is Grace Breeding’s first product and is a biologically-based alternative to nitrogen-based fertilizers that typically consist of Urea, a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.Read more here

For the first time in Israel, a lab will check if avocadoes are ripe and ready to eat before marketing. The Granot Central Co-operative recently invested in Neolithics, an Israel based start-up which has developed a first-of-its-kind technology for advanced quality control of fresh produce. The use of technology that allows for shelf life prediction can help farmers and distributors to maximize the utilization of fruits and vegetables can help to reduce food waste. Read more here

Combining affordable clean energy with growing food in greenhouses is the aim of a new company that joins Jews and Arabs in the Galilee working to feed the world and reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint. The European Union through the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme, has awarded €5.3 million to the REGACE Consortium to develop and demonstrate an innovative agrivoltaics technology by using CO2 enrichment to increase electricity yields.Read more here

OTHER INNOVATION

Israeli startup Bio-Fence has developed an additive that makes disinfectants last for weeks, even months. It can be mixed with nearly any coating or paint to be applied to walls and floors, so that when the surface is sanitized with a disinfectant, it prevents the growth of bacteria for much longer. Read more here

SPORT

Israeli judoka Gili Sharir (23) won the under-63 kg gold medal at the Paris Grand Slam judo tournament, after defeating Japanese, Polish, Canadian, French and South Korean opponents.Read more here

ENTERTAINMENT

Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan announced Tuesday he will perform a single show in Israel on June 15^th in Tel Aviv. Read more here

British actor Hugh Laurie is to join the cast of Israeli TV show “Fauda” for its 3^rd season.Read more here

COMMENT & OPINION

Herb Keinon: The mission the Israeli rescue workers in Turkey are currently on is difficult in many regards: the work is back-breaking and emotionally draining; the terrain is challenging; the weather is freezing. In addition, Channel 12 reported that the area where the team is operating is not known for its friendliness toward Israel. On the contrary, said military correspondent Nir Dvori, it is known for its enmity toward Israel. As a result, the Israeli team there will have guards protecting it…Even as Israel wants to do good, it needs protection from those wishing to do it harm. Read more here

Ben-Dror Yemini: The Israeli war on terror is necessary and justified. When the Americans killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, no one condemned “both sides.” When the American army was mobilized to defeat al-Qaeda and ISIS, no one said that “the cycle of violence should be stopped.” … the violence belongs to the (Palestinian) side that supports terrorism, that educates its children to hatred, that identifies with messages of anti-Semitism and racism. Read more here