As part of the initial drawing of lessons from the Black Sabbath incidents on October 7, the IDF established a new mobility unit subordinate to the Home Front Command, which consists of hundreds of citizen volunteers equipped with private 4x4 vehicles.
Underground and above ground: the fighting of the 98th Division in Khan Yunis // IDF Spokesman
The purpose of the unit is to transport troops wherever they are needed quickly and efficiently.
A source in the cave explained to Israel Hayom in detail that if the unit had existed on October 7, the forces could have been moved south faster - thereby saving many lives.
The new mobility unit received the number 0710 (the date of Black Sabbath), and the Hebrew name "Mount Zion".
The unit recruits drivers with their private SUVs who are naturalized, that is, soldiers, and the plan is that it will have many hundreds of experienced drivers with their SUVs.
Their role will be to serve as a force capable of moving forces quickly from place to place when needed.
The person entrusted with the establishment of the mobility unit is none other than the founder and CEO of the "Hashomer" movement, Yoel Zilberman.
The war accelerated the process
In fact, the idea of establishing a mobility unit came up before October 7th, but Black Saturday accelerated the process, when already on that Saturday, when it became clear that the significant bottleneck in dealing with the invasion of Israel was the transfer of forces to the south, Silberman managed to mobilize several hundred SUVs with drivers, and these began to move forces to the south.
Mobility unit activity.
Leaning on citizens, photo: Mount Zion 0710
By the evening hours, the first 150 vehicles had arrived in the southern region, and within a few days the number had increased to 1,500 vehicles with their drivers.
Various sources told "Israel Today" that if the unit had been established and started its activities before October 7, already at 09:00 in the morning, 100-150 vehicles could have been made available for use by the Gaza Division, and they could have brought about 700 fighters with them.
In the first days of the fighting, the unit took part in activities throughout the enclave, assisting in the evacuation of wounded and dead bodies, evacuating axles from vehicles and assisting in the supply of equipment and the transportation of troops from place to place.
Later, as part of cooperation with the Southern Command, the unit even assisted in the entry and exit of fighting forces from combat zones in the Strip, all of this using private vehicles of civilians who served.
Today, the unit's mission is the operational mobilization of the three defense brigades of the Home Front Command wherever they are needed in a short time, to constitute an initial intervention force.
Mobility unit activity.
Leaning on citizens, photo: Mount Zion 0710
Let's recall that as a lesson from Operation Wall Guard in May 2021, defense brigades of the Home Front Command were originally designated to secure axes during combat to allow the movement of troops in the event of axis blockages.
In fact, the defense brigades of the Home Front Command make redundant the National Guard that the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gabir talks about, without being able to do anything about it.
The unit allows the defense brigades of the Home Front Command to reach any point without restriction of movement, and gives independence, flexibility, mobility and speed to the various units.
The unit allows two battalions to assemble within two or three hours, and an entire brigade within seven to eight hours.
These days, the Home Front Command is leading a process of institutionalizing the unit in routine and emergency situations for a long-term response, led by the head of the Technology and Logistics Division and the Head of the Home Front Command Headquarters.
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