Eilat is waiting for the Minister of National Security to inaugurate the alert squad: The southernmost city in Israel, located on the border of Egypt and Jordan, is almost the last city in Israel to open alert squads of armed residents.
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Already at the beginning of the war, many residents turned to the Eilat Regional Police and asked to volunteer for the alert squad. Mainly due to the fact that every day 2,400 Jordanian workers move to Eilat from the city of Aqaba, who are assigned to work in hotels and restaurants. Following the war, the number of Jordanian laborers dwindled to only about 800.
The Eilat Regional Police complied with the request and began training the residents in shooting training, and even armed the members of the alert squad, but the official opening was postponed due to constraints. Residents who volunteered for the alert squad told Israel Hayom that they were told that the delay in opening the alert squad was due to constraints stemming from the busy schedule of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who asked to be present at the official opening ceremony in Eilat.
Many residents contacted the Eilat Regional Police and asked to volunteer for the alert squad. Pictured: Smoke rising from the scene of the explosion in Eilat, last week, Photo: The use is made according to section 27A of the Copyright Law
"The feeling is that our security in Eilat is being underestimated and abandoned. We have already understood that there is no solution to the issue of Jordanian workers, so at least there should be an alert squad here that will work like in any other city and increase our security. We know that the volunteers were already trained and received weapons last week, but they are not starting activities because they are waiting for the ceremony, which was postponed due to the constraints of the National Security Minister's schedule. It's a scandal!" argues A., a resident of the city.
It should be noted that the process of recruiting and training volunteers for the alert squads that will be activated in emergency situations is carried out by the Israel Police in accordance with the policy of Police Commissioner Rabbi Yaakov Shabtai. According to the operational concept, formulated by the Border Police and the Israel Police, the squads are subordinated to the commanders of police stations and are operated through the orderly command and control of the Israel Police. The prerequisites for joining the preparatory classes: service in a combat unit, completion of reserve service, up to the age of 65, no criminal record, medical competence.
The launch ceremony of the alert squad in Jerusalem (archive), photo: Arnon Busani
The Eilat Police Department completed the preparations of the alert squad and since the beginning of the war the volunteers of the alert squad have undergone special courses that included theoretical material, work with security forces and shooting ranges. At the beginning of the month, members of the alert squad received weapons to be part of the defense of the city, but so far their activity has not begun.
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