Israel Under Attack - 2023
Israel is under attack
October 7, 2023
Over 200,000 Israelis have been internally displaced since Oct. 7th, evacuated from the war zones in the south and north of Israel.
Survivors and First Responders are dealing with trauma unlike anything Israel has known before. NATAN is there to help.
HELP US TO HELP THEM!
NATAN is operating medical and dental clinics to provide primary care to the evacuees whose homes, and villages were destroyed by the Hamas invaders. NATAN is also providing Resilience, Recovery and Rehabilitation in the town of Ofakim, hard hit by the attack.
On October 7, 2023, the terrorist group Hamas carried out an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel. Under heavy rocket fire, an estimated 2,000 Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza security wall and invaded Israel. They attacked peaceful farming villages and towns, leaving 1,300 Israelis dead, and 240 taken hostage into Gaza, including at least 30 children. At present much of Israel is under rocket fire - from Hamas in the south and from Hezbollah in the north.
OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS
OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS
NATAN is a signatory to this open letter from Israeli humanitarian organizations and professionals demanding that the UN Secretary-General recognize Hamas atrocities as war crimes, to take all measures to visit the hostages and to continue demanding their immediate release. CLICK HERE TO READ THE OPEN LETTER
in the news…
BBC interview with NATAN volunteer Dr. Garry Gali Tzarfati, Oct. 12, 2023
Listen to the very moving story of our long-time volunteer and board member, Dr. Michael (Mick) Alkan. Dr. Alkan speaks with his son Yoni on the podcast Doc Tales. Links to the full podcast (45 minutes) and podcast site are included in the story.
NATAN is operating medical clinics and dental clinics at centers for evacuees: survivors of the Oct. 7th invasion and massacre in the towns and villages along the Gaza border. NATAN established clinics in three locations: Shefayim Kibbutz, The Dead Sea and Eilat. This project is run in collaboration with Clalit Health Service, and Maccabi Health Service, the largest HMOs in Israel. The clinics are run at hotels in Israel where the evacuees have been staying. As with every NATAN relief operation, we take pains to ensure the privacy of all individuals. For that reason, you will not see the faces of children in photos of our field clinics. You will notice that our doctors, nurses, social workers meet patients and clients one-to-one or in small family groups, behind screens or partitions wherever possible. Protecting human dignity is one of NATAN’s core principles, whether dealing with refugees or disaster survivors around the globe, or internally displaced persons in our own country.
Testimonials
Dental Clinic for Evacuees
NATAN has been operating mobile dental clinics in Israel for several years. Until now, the clinics were run at centers for under-served and at-risk populations in Haifa. Immediately following the October 7th attack, NATAN mobilized it’s Dental Clinic team in order to bring dental care to the survivors who have been evacuated, internally displaced. The clinics seen below are operated at hotels in Eilat and along the Dead Sea where thousands of evacuees are temporarily housed. The dental clinics are operated with our long-time partner and supporter, Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity.
Ofakim Resilience Center
Recovery, Rehabilitation, Resilience in the town of Ofakim
NATAN continues to support the people of Ofakim, a town which suffered heavily during the Oct. 7th massacre and invasion by Hamas. The Program for Rehabilitation and Recovery from Trauma in Ofakim was established by NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief led by Dr. Eitan Shahar, head of NATAN's PsychoSocial Relief Operations. The Ofakim Municipality will run the program through its permanent units and systems. As part of the program, team members move from neighborhood to neighborhood in town, inviting all residents to join in the activity.
"Picking up the pieces" - A creative activity in being run in protected spaces at schools in several neighborhoods in Ofakim. Parents and children work together to create a mosaic illustrating the unity and “Israeliness” that connect the people of the south who support each other during these difficult days. The plan is to present the mosaic work to families who lost family members during the war.
Stage One: In the weeks immediately following Oct.7th, NATAN psychosocial experts led dozens of volunteer social workers in Ofakim, going door to door in the neighborhood where terrorists killed many civilians and held others hostage for over 20 hours.
This activity is part of the Ofakim Resilience Center project run by NATAN in collaboration with the Ofakim Municipality and Department of Welfare. are now going door to door to check on residents and offer help. "Some of the residents are afraid to open the door. They have not been outside since the attack last week. We speak to them and reassure them.," says Dr. Eitan Shachar, NATAN's Head of Psychosocial Relief Operations.
October 7, 2023 - The darkest day in Israeli history
The images below are from just one of the dozens of towns and farming villages that were destroyed during the Oct. 7th invasion. For the displaced residents of these towns and villages, there is no home to return to. NATAN teams are helping the evacuees as well as providing psychological counseling and trauma intervention to first responders and locals who are still in the area, despite the raging war at their doorstep.
Photos from social media used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law
Kibbutz Beeri - virtually every home was destroyed during the terrorist invasion and massacre - Oct 7, 2023
Kibbutz Beeri - one of the many buildings destroyed by a rocket launcher during the invasion - Oct 7, 2023
Kibbutz Beeri - homes were invaded and then burnt during the terrorist invasion - Oct 7, 2023
HAMAS terrorists enter the kibbutz - Oct. 7, 2023
Peaceful agricultural settlement: Kibbutz Beeri before the Oct invasion
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