Israel Active

The IDF dispatched an 80-member search and rescue delegation to Colombia following a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The “Alliance of Brothers” mission immediately began work in Cali, Colombia, searching for survivors and clearing rubble while assessing damage.

Responding to a request from Honduran President Nasry Asfura, Israel sent an emergency ophthalmology mission to treat 155 Hondurans suffering from serious eye conditions, including surgery for 136 of them. Another mission, medical equipment and training are planned.

Israel has delivered three tons of medical aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assist its efforts to confront an Ebola outbreak. DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, came to Jerusalem with an expanded delegation to strengthen partnerships with Israel.

Israel and Venezuela agreed to renew consular relations and establish an official coordination channel after 17 years without diplomatic ties. The agreement followed talks between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia.

The Times of Israel is running a weekly feature highlighting the the mosaic of personalities walking the Land. One is a Moroccan woman from Manchester who has set up an English Tea house in Jerusalem. Another is a woman whose life’s calling is to care for animals in distress. See them all .

Nasreen Hadid from Daliat al-Carmel, was working for Turkish Airlines which stopped flights to Israel after Oct 7 2023. Nasreen joined Air Haifa and eventually became a flight attendant. Air Haifa is a model of Jewish-Arab coexistence. See the article.

The David and Meredith Kaplan Foundation, via the Birthright Israel Foundation, are to establish 8 therapeutic educational gardens across four local educational institutions, creating spaces of healing, growth, and hope for the Druze community devastated by Hezbollah in July 2024.

An astonishing 99% of eligible Bnei Menashe men volunteer to enlist in the IDF- the highest rate in Israel. In addition, 90% of Bnei Menashe women do National Service (Sherut Leumi) and the remaining 10% enlist in the IDF.

4,000+ ultra-Orthodox men enlisted in the IDF over the past year, including some 1,000 who entered combat roles. It is 43% more than the 2,800 in the year ending in July 2025. 537 soldiers joined the IDF’s recent specialized ultra-Orthodox programs.

The “Shimon Battalion” 1200, the IDF’s first reserve battalion in the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade, has completed its establishment and been declared ready for operational activity following a battalion-level exercise in the Golan Heights.