Israel launches operation ‘Olive Branches’ as earthquake death toll passes 5,000

Israel launched operation “Olive Branches” on Monday evening, sending a team of 150 people to Turkey to search for victims of an earthquake that has left over 5,000 people dead. 

IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht told Jewish News that Israel dispatched rescue teams over 30 times in the last 40 years, describing the unit sent to Turkey as “very experienced.”

A small team was dispatched to Turkey to assess the situation on the ground and report back to Israel about exact needs of the Turkish government.

“We see this as an honour, to lend a helping hand to our friends in Turkey,” heck added.

The Israeli team, led by the IDF Home Front Command, will be focusing on three of the areas that were hit hardest by the earthquake; Adana, Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

The team prepares to set up a field hospital if deemed necessary, and will coordinate with other international rescue teams as well as the Turkish authorities on the ground.

IDF Col. (Res.) Golan Vach, who leads the team, said: “We believe lives can still be saved. The conditions and the circumstances are difficult. The weather is cold and the destruction is severe but we have enough ressources and experience, so we believe that if we collaborate with the Turkish government, we can still save lives.”

In a conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, President Erdogan thanked him for the rescue mission, stressing that “this assistance will greatly aid the many forces that have been operating on the ground for many hours already.”

Some 17 earthquakes hit both Turkey and Syria in the span of 24 hours starting early Monday morning, leaving over 3,381 dead in Turkey and at least 1,300 in Syria.

20,426 have been injured in Turkey and 5,775 buildings collapsed.

According to the World Health Organisation, the death toll could rise to 20,000 in the coming days.

The Guardian quotes Turkish authorities saying that over 7,800 people have been rescued across 10 provinces so far. 2,660 people from 65 countries have been dispatched to Turkey so far, assisting the local authorities with rescue missions.

In total, over 13,000 people are currently participating in emergency aid. Israel said it was among the first countries to dispatch rescue teams to Turkey.