Paw Power: All about Israel military’s canine unit Oketz which helped save 200 lives

The war on Israel that began on 7 October has become the deadliest one, with more than 4,000 dead on both sides. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, according to The Associated Press. Israeli forces, supported by US warships, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what the country said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. According to Fox News, the Israeli Defense Force’s canine team, Oketz, was instrumental in saving 200 Israelis from gunfire in neighbourhoods close to the Gaza Strip. Even 10 Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri were killed thanks to the dogs. All about Oketz The canine unit Oketz, which in Hebrew means “sting,” uses specifically trained dogs for operations in the fields of counterterrorism, search and rescue, and other specialised tasks. It was established in Sirkin Base in 1974 in the wake of the series of terrorist incidents that struck Israel in the early 1970s. It had 11 soldiers at first. Each dog is taught to have a certain speciality, per the IDF website (attack, search and rescue, locating weapons, detecting explosives, etc.). The team took part in a variety of missions during the 1970s and 1980s while operating in complete secrecy up to 1988.

According to the website, the bond between the dog and its trainer is particularly vital and personal during a military action and is a crucial component of the unit’s qualities. According to i24 report published in 2021, there are two dog-based security firms operating in Israel, both of which were founded by former Oketz soldiers. IDF’s canine unit helped rescue 200 lives According to the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit, in clashes in many nearby communities, Israeli forces accompanied by K-9s carried out a number of rescue missions that “rescued hostages, saved lives, and eliminated terrorists who had barricaded themselves in houses.” Over 200 civilians were rescued thanks to an Israeli K-9 squad, reported Fox News. The Spokesman’s Unit reported that commanders and troops from Israel’s Oketz K-9 Unit were divided into three distinct companies in order to participate more actively in combat close to the Gaza Strip, which led to the release of multiple captives and the demise of more than ten Hamas terrorists. Wion News reported that a dog named “Nauru” was deployed in a battle in Kibbutz Kfar Aza to find weapons and track down terrorists, but he actually ended up revealing the location of an ambush on Israeli troops and attacking the Hamas gunmen.

IDF troops killed the terrorists while unfortunately losing Nauru in the fierce battle. For a proper funeral, the soldiers collected Nauru’s remains. In another occasion, a K-9 dubbed “Charlie” was able to track down a senior Hamas figure and make contact with him before Israeli soldiers could support the dog and capture the terrorist. A commander from the Oketz unit said that the K-9 soldiers would soon start focusing on offensive operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to IDF spokesperson, the commander said, “The next step is to enter the Gaza Strip. The mission is to neutralize all the terrorists we confront in the field; we are ready, we are strong, we are united, and we are going to win.” More on Israel-Palestine war In the latest development, Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City in the north and renewed warnings on social media, ordering more than one million Gaza residents to move south. According to AP, a week of blistering airstrikes have demolished neighborhoods but failed to stop militant rocket fire into Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents sought to heed Israel’s order to evacuate roughly the northern half of the territory, while others huddled at hospitals in the north on Sunday. Gaza’s 2.3 million civilians faced a deepening struggle for food, water and safety, and braced for a looming invasion more than a week after Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. U.S. President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days, though no travel has yet been confirmed. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that Hamas potentially was ready to release the nearly 200 hostages it is holding if Israel stops its campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The militant group hasn’t acknowledged making such an offer. Instead, Hamas has said it will trade the captives for thousands of Palestinians held by Israel in the kind of lopsided exchange deals that have been reached in the past. Iran has warned it could enter the war as well if Israel launches a widely anticipated ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in the coming days. With inputs from agencies