Israeli NGO transforms Gaza border security volunteers into defence force

At an IDF shooting range near Kibbutz Re’im, volunteer security team members from Gaza-border communities train in tactical firearm use, honing skills to prevent a repeat of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 and saw 251 kidnapped.

The 14 trainees, civilians from Kibbutz Gvulot and nearby areas, were undergoing a new intensive course. Though Gvulot wasn’t invaded, its security team helped defend nearby Kibbutz Holit despite limited weaponry. According to an insight article by The Times of Israel, shedding light on this training initiative, they are among volunteers from 66 communities—including Sderot—taking part in a year-long program involving 12 training days, eight funded by the IDF and four by NGO Magen Yehuda.

Israel requires each border community to maintain a 24-member security team, typically made up of reservist-aged fathers trained and armed by the IDF. One member serves as commander and civilian security coordinator, partly funded by the army. Before the October attack, training was minimal—just two sessions per year—and teams lacked proper weapons and access, with rifles withdrawn in 2022 following a series of break-ins and gun thefts.

On October 7, many teams were caught unprepared. With the army overwhelmed, these volunteers became frontline defenders—46 were killed. The new training aims to ensure better readiness should such an attack happen again.

The secret of Kibbutz Erez

Immediately after the October 7 attacks, Ra’anana-based Australian immigrant Ari Briggs partnered with his longtime friend Elan Isaacson to investigate the events and report back to Jewish communities abroad. While visiting various farming communities, Briggs noted that Kibbutz Erez had successfully repelled the assault without civilian casualties—unlike many other locations.

Curious about their success, Briggs asked the Erez security team how they had managed. Their answer: “Ehud Dribben’s training.” Determined to learn more, Briggs tracked down Dribben, a veteran counterterrorism instructor with experience training IDF, police, and military forces globally. In 2004, Dribben founded the NGO Magen Yehuda to voluntarily train civilian first-response teams, particularly in the West Bank. He had trained the Erez team prior to the October attack.

In August, Briggs and Dribben launched Magen 48, a new initiative named in honour of the 48 civilian security team members killed on October 7 (later corrected by authorities to 46). “It’s a pilot program approved by the Gaza Division Commander to enhance civilian first-response capabilities,” explained Isaacson. “The army is stepping up, and we’re supporting that effort.”

A central feature of the program is the creation of customized defence plans—23 so far—developed after a reserve lieutenant colonel surveys each community with its local security liaison. These plans outline likely attack routes and defence strategies and are practiced in joint drills with the IDF. Briggs believes this collaboration is crucial to restoring faith in the military after its failure during the attack.

“People said this was something for big organizations or the government to handle,” Briggs said. “But I’m the crazy Australian who knows that the government only shows up once something’s already working.”

By Nazrin Sadigova