Israeli Efforts Rescue 19 Turkish Earthquake Survivors

It was all hands on deck for Israelis as soon as they heard about – and perhaps felt – the 7.8 earthquake in Turkey on Feb. 6, followed soon after by a 7.5 quake. The Israeli Foreign Ministry and groups like United Hatzalah, the Israel Defense Forces, the Ministry of Health and Hadassah scrambled to send teams of search and rescue personnel to the sites most devasted by the historic quake. Eventually, some 500 Israelis participated in the rescue and medical efforts.

The Israeli military dubbed the aid operation, “Olive Branches.”

“The Turkey Ministry of Interior called for international help,” said Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Irit Lillian. “The Israeli Foreign Minister decided within an hour to send help. We know that the first few hours are crucial.” Lillian, speaking from Turkey on a Zoom call, said “the damage is beyond words. Thousands of people have died.”

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In fact, since that Feb. 8 international conference call, just two days after the quake struck southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria, more than 45,000 bodies have been recovered, along with several survivors. The Israeli rescue teams were able to rescue 19 survivors from collapsed buildings, according to official Israeli Foreign Ministry figures.

Hundreds of Israelis helped in the rescue of Turkish survivors // Photo Credit: IDF spokesperson, Consulate General of Israel Atlanta.

Nearly 500 people were treated in the field hospital that was established by the IDF and civilian medical personnel from various hospitals across Israel, who had volunteered to join the delegation.

Among the 470 people treated at the hospital, there were also injured Syrian refugees, who have been living in the area since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, according to the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast U.S.

In addition, MASHAV, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s international aid agency, supplied more than 60 tons of humanitarian aid to those affected by the earthquakes.

The humanitarian aid was comprised of winter clothes, medical equipment and water filtering units which do not require an energy source and operate off-grid. This system was specifically requested by Turkish authorities. The Consulate General of Israel emphasizes that Israel continues to stand by Turkey at this difficult time and will continue to offer assistance as needed.

It had been four years since Israel and Turkey had reestablished diplomatic ties last August. Lillian only presented her credentials to the Turkish government in late December, and now she has been overseeing Israel’s desperate efforts to help the beleaguered country. During the call, when asked whether Israel was also assisting Syria in its rescue and relief efforts, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to answer.

However, David Saranga, who arrived with the Israeli rescue team just hours after the quake said it had already felt like “we’ve been here for weeks.” He said it took the 150-member rescue team consisting of Home Front Command, the Foreign Ministry and IDF five hours “to reach the areas assigned to us. I was walking in neighborhoods in which buildings were totally collapsed, listening for voices.” He explained that the Israeli rescue team were assigned specific buildings in which to search for survivors.

Ambassador Irit Lillian had only been credentialed in Turkey since late December after a four-year hiatus in diplomatic ties between the two countries.

“After we rescued someone, the loved ones from other families approached us to help them find their family members,” he recalled.

As has happened in other international tragedies, Israel sent a field hospital to Turkey to help take care of survivors injured in the quake. Indeed, just three days after the quake along the Turkish-Syrian border, a team of IDF and Ministry of Health medical personnel arrived in Turkey to help. In addition, United Hatzalah of Israel sent a group of 25 first responders and experts in search and rescue operations along with at least 10 tons of supplies and humanitarian aid on a charter flight to Turkey.

“As soon as we heard about the scale of the tragedy unfolding in Turkey, it was clear to us that we would send a team there in order to contribute to the relief effort,” said Vice President of Operations for United Hatzalah Dov Maisel. “The amount of damage wrought by the earthquakes is enormous. We are bringing all of our knowledge and manpower from previous experiences responding to disasters to assist in the rescue efforts currently taking place in Turkey.”

Unfortunately, United Hatzalah and teams from countries like Austria and Germany had to cut short their efforts in Turkey because of security concerns. The delegation had been scheduled to return after 10 days but decided to come back to Israel early because of a “concrete and immediate threat.”

Alex Gandler, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern USA

A spokesperson for United Hatzalah told Times of Israel that there were two main concerns driving the decision: proximity to the Syrian border and the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which has seen Islamic State activity over the years, and growing unrest among Turkish citizens over their government’s poor response to the earthquake.

“We knew that there was a certain level of risk in sending our team to this area of Turkey, which is close to the Syrian border, but we took the necessary steps in order to mitigate the threat for the sake of our lifesaving mission. Unfortunately, we have just received intelligence of a concrete and immediate threat on the Israeli delegation, and we have to put the security of our personnel first,” said Maisel.

Alex Gandler, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern USA, stated, “Israel stands by Turkey and the Turkish people at their time of hardship, and sees great importance in offering a helping hand following the devastating earthquake. The State of Israel has gained significant experience in responding to catastrophes and saving lives and is always willing to offer its assistance and experience wherever needed.”