A two-day training exercise for 84 volunteers from the ZAKA Rescue Unit, in cooperation with the Home Front Command Training Division, has been completed.

The exercise, which included a night training session, simulated treatment and handling scenarios in disaster and destruction zones, as well as preparedness for earthquake scenarios and combat zones. During the exercise, the volunteers performed rescue operations using advanced techniques alongside Home Front Command officers and soldiers who participated throughout the training.

It should be noted that ZAKA volunteers, who serve as a supporting force for the Home Front Command’s rescue battalions, are committed to maintaining operational readiness and hold annual joint training sessions, where they practice using rescue tools and unique techniques for extricating trapped individuals from destruction sites and building a situational intelligence picture of the affected population.

This current training marks the final stage in ensuring the operational readiness of hundreds of ZAKA volunteers, who have participated in various drills over the past month.

Chaim Wengarten, ZAKA’s Deputy Director of Operations, stated: “The training of ZAKA volunteers, in collaboration with the Home Front Command Training Division, enables them to handle the specific scenarios they prepare for in a professional and efficient manner. The nearly two-decade-long cooperation proves itself time and again and helps us provide life-saving assistance quickly and effectively.”

Chaim Otmzgin, Commander of ZAKA’s Special Units, added: “The joint training with the Home Front Command rescue battalions provides us with the tools to handle challenges in complex situations. The volunteers demonstrated a high level of professionalism and coping skills in difficult conditions, and the successful training solidifies our operational readiness to provide assistance in disaster situations.”