How Israel Is Training Civilians to Prevent Another Oct. 7-Style Attack

“Fire, fire, fire!” a member of Kibbutz Bror Hayil’s local security team yells, aiming his weapon at another participant portraying a terrorist. The kibbutz sits near the Gaza border, the area from which thousands of Hamas-led Palestinians entered Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in an assault that killed about 1,200 people.

The drill, observed by INC News, marked the eighth training session led by Magen48 in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces. The full-scale exercise brought in the community’s civilian defense squad to practice responses to threats modeled on the events of Oct. 7.

One scenario focused on a simulated infiltration of the kibbutz kindergarten. With IDF troops still on the way, the civilian squad was tasked with confronting the attackers while factoring in the presence of children, poor visibility and the urgency of evacuating civilians safely. During the drill, a mock grenade blast wounded one squad member in the leg, while the remaining participants moved in and neutralized the simulated terrorists.

Earlier training sessions covered how to handle weapons from behind cover in multiple positions, including seated, prone, standing and while on the move. Participants also practiced operating in pairs and in larger teams, with an emphasis on coordination and communication. Over time, the drills became more demanding, incorporating building-entry scenarios and responses to repeated emergency alerts.

Because the training was held inside a civilian community, live ammunition was not used. Organizers said all weapons and equipment were secured to prevent accidental discharge, and residents were informed about the exercise ahead of time.

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

Magen48 instructor T., who could not reveal his full name for security reasons, said the Bror Hayil program initially presented significant challenges.

“The civil defense squad was made up of soldiers who had served in special forces alongside others who had never held combat roles in the military. Some were issued weapons they had never used during their service. Training begins with weapons familiarization, covering the basics of firearm operation and how to manipulate the weapon’s safety mechanisms,” he said.

One lesson drawn from Oct. 7 was that many members of civilian security squads responded alone. “Whoever ran alone was not able to fend off terrorists,” T. said, explaining that the training emphasizes locating another squad member before engaging 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.

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

Magen48, established in July 2024 and named for the 48 first responders killed on Oct. 7, has trained 1,500 civilians to respond to life-threatening emergencies, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and resources to contend with scenarios such as terrorist attacks, medical emergencies and fires.

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

The training exercise began with the community command center issuing an alert about eight terrorists infiltrating the kibbutz, prompting members of the civil defense squad to mobilize to their assigned defensive positions.

Briggs and Dribben designed the exercise around five key locations where the defense squad would ultimately need to concentrate its forces. Response times are measured, and every step — from alerting residents to engaging the terrorists and evacuating casualties — is closely monitored.

“The reports that emerged after Oct. 7 showed that civilian first responders were incredibly brave. They were prepared to do anything to protect their families, friends and communities, but they were not trained adequately and lacked the equipment they needed,” Briggs said.

“Strong, well-trained civilian response teams don’t just improve security — they help bring communities back together, strengthen resilience and ensure these towns grow and have an amazing future,” he added.

Retired British Col. Richard Kemp, who observed the training exercises, said the primary objective is to prevent another Oct. 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 INC News. “If you know that your enemy has a capability of any sort to endanger you, you have to be ready to deal with that capability through the kind of work that Magen48 is doing.”

Kemp called the drill one of the most complex exercises he had witnessed.

“It’s really important that these drills take place to give the local community confidence that its security is a top priority and that forces are doing everything they can to prepare for another terrorist attack like the one we saw on Oct. 7,” he said.