Israel Civil Defense squads are training to prevent another terrorist attack on October 7

Israel-Gaza border: “Fire, fire, fire!” A member of Kibbutz Bror Heil’s local security squad shouts while pointing his weapon at a fellow participant acting as a terrorist. The kibbutz is located near the Gaza border, from where thousands of Palestinians led by Hamas invaded Israel and killed about 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.

The exercise, attended by Fox News Digital, was the eighth training session conducted by Magen48 in partnership with the Israel Defense Forces – a full-scale exercise involving local civil defense squads, designed to prepare southern Israeli communities for scenarios similar to the October 7 attacks.

One of the scenarios simulated terrorists infiltrating a kibbutz kindergarten. With IDF forces en route, the Civil Defense Squad had to respond taking into account the presence of children, limited visibility, and the need to neutralize the attackers while ensuring safe evacuation. During the exercise, a fake grenade exploded, injuring the leg of a Civil Defense Squad member, while managing to kill the other terrorists.

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A member of Kibbutz Bror Heil’s civil defense squad rushes to respond to a simulated terrorist infiltration at Kibbutz Bror Heil on July 8, 2026. (Emily Botbol for Fox News Digital)

In earlier sessions, participants learned to fire weapons from behind a barricade while sitting, lying, standing and walking. They are also trained to work in pairs and large groups, developing communication skills. The exercises became increasingly complex, with teams practicing inside buildings and responding to frequent emergency alerts.

Since the exercise took place inside a civilian community, no live ammunition was used. All weapons and equipment were secured to prevent accidental discharge. Residents were informed in advance about the drill.

The 47 participants included IDF soldiers and medical personnel from the Northern Brigade of the Gaza Division.

Magen48 instructor T., who could not give his full name for security reasons, said the Bror Heil program presented significant challenges in the beginning.

This image, made from undated bodycam video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by the Israel Defense Forces, shows a Hamas terrorist walking through a residential neighborhood at an undisclosed location in southern Israel. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

He said, “The Civil Defense Squad was made up of soldiers who had served in special forces, along with others who had never served in a combat role in the military. Some were issued weapons they had never used during their service. Training begins with familiarization with the weapons, covering the basics of firearms operation and how to manipulate the weapon’s safety mechanism.”

One lesson learned from October 7 was that many members of the civil defense squads responded alone. “Anyone who ran alone was not going to be able to fend off the terrorists,” T. said, adding that the training emphasizes locating another squad member before joining in whenever possible.

“The idea behind this project is to establish a unified operational language, so that if an incident occurs, nearby communities can join the response and coordinate effectively,” he said.

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“The idea is that they are able to manage the incident until the forces arrive, then hand over control in an orderly manner while continuing to work together. They know the kibbutz, they work well in teams and they have undergone high-quality training that has honed their skills.”

Magen48, which was founded in July 2024 and named after the 48 first responders killed on October 7, has trained 1,500 civilians to respond to life-threatening emergencies, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and resources to deal with scenarios such as terrorist attacks, medical emergencies and fires.

Participants in Magen48’s exercise at Kibbutz Bror Heil respond to a simulated terrorist infiltration inside the kibbutz’s kindergarten, July 8, 2026. (Emily Botbol for Fox News Digital)

Ehud Dribben, a counterterrorism expert who has 30 years of experience in the field, co-founded the organization with Ari Briggs and Mike Aron. As the trio began planning to build a training facility, the IDF approached them to develop a program providing 12 full training days annually to each of the 67 Gaza envelope communities. To date, Magen48 has conducted over 550 training sessions.

The training exercise began with the Community Command Center issuing an alert about eight militants who had infiltrated the kibbutz, prompting Civil Defense Squad members to mobilize to their assigned defensive positions.

Briggs and Dreeben structured the exercise around five key locations where the defense squad would eventually need to concentrate its forces. Response times are measured, and every step – from alerting residents to capturing terrorists and evacuating casualties – is closely monitored.

Briggs said, “Reports emerging after October 7 showed that civilian first responders were incredibly brave. They were willing to do anything to protect their families, friends and communities, but they were not adequately trained and lacked the necessary equipment.”

Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing civilians, including women, children and the elderly. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

“Strong, well-trained civil response teams not only improve safety – they help bring communities back together, strengthen resilience and ensure these towns thrive and have an amazing future,” he said.

Retired British Colonel Richard Kemp, who observed the training exercise, said the primary objective was to prevent another incident on October 7.

“I was in the British Army for 30 years, so I understand the importance of defense and security for a country like Israel,” he told Fox News Digital. “If you know that your enemy has any kind of capability to put you in danger, you have to be prepared to deal with that capability through the kind of work that Magen48 is doing.”

Memorial at the site of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Reim, Israel, on May 27, 2024. (Coby Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Kemp described this drill as one of the most complex he had seen.

He said, “It is really important that these exercises take place to reassure the local community that their safety is the top priority and that the forces are doing everything possible to prepare for another terrorist attack as we saw on October 7.”