IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman on Thursday outlined what Israel's military would be doing to help battle the nation's coronavirus outbreak. The name of the new operation? Ray of Light.
A situation assessment headed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi resulted in a decision to shift the military from routine operations to anti-epidemic measures, with a civilian focus.
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"We opened a Magen David Adom hotline in the Home Front Command to help the MDA serve the public. The Home Front Command is also in charge of a national emergency hotline that will provide all the latest instructions. The number is 104," Zilberman said.
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett has also instructed the Home Front Command to open a center dedicated to helping civilians deal with the epidemic. The center is expected to be operational at the beginning of next week.
"There is a lot of confusion and stress among the public. That's natural. We will provide answers 24/7. The Home Front Command's 104 hotline opened today, and we will continue full force," Bennett said.
The IDF is playing a number of roles in the battle against coronavirus. The military has launched a blood drive with a daily target of 7,000 donations. The Intelligence Directorate's Unit 81, it's top technology development unit, meanwhile, is working on four developments: adapting home ventilator units into ventilators that came be used to treat corona patients; manufacturing masks to protect medical staff; adapting armored vehicles for use in transporting patients; and an application that will help the IDF's Medical Corps manage the process of testing the public for coronavirus.
Unit commander Col. L. said, "As officers in one of the most advanced technological entities of its kind, we have an obligation to lend our hand to the government and help it find solutions for the current challenges. We will work creatively and stick to the mission, with the goal being to get a grip on this. It's a great privilege for us!"
If the number of confirmed corona cases continues to spiral, the IDF will help civilian authorities sanitize and disinfect public areas. Two Home Front Command battalions are currently being outfitted for that task.
'More vital supplies'
After the Deputy General Director of the Health Ministry claimed this week that the testing kits the Mossad flew in from abroad were the "incorrect" equipment, the Prime Minister's Office said, "We are utilizing all the nation's capabilities to help deal with coronavirus, including the Mossad."
Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, however, said, "We received important, functional testing kits, which we need to check for coronavirus. Our special thanks to the Mossad and Director Yossi Cohen, who are helping us with this matter.
"We are maintaining contact with the Mossad to secure more vital supplies. We're at war, and in war, everyone works together to win. Israel is using all its capabilities, all its power and all its brains to cooperate and deal with the enormous challenge now facing us," Siman-Tov said.
As part of the defense establishment's efforts to aid civilian authorities at this time, Bennett has ordered the Defense Ministry's Procurement Administration to purchase all necessary protective gear for the medical teams caring for patients, as well as 2,5000 respirators for hospitals nationwide. The projected cost of this emergency procurement is estimated at 50 million shekels ($14 million).
