Israel extends stay of IDF delegation in Miami by week
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has approved the prolonged stay of the IDF Home Front Command Delegation operating as part of the recovery mission at the disaster site at Surfside, Florida.
Members of the Israel Defence Forces’ Home Front Command assisting in search-and-rescue efforts in Surfside, Florida, June 2021. Credit: IDF.
The delegation, which is assisting in the search and rescue efforts following the recent building collapse in Surfside, near Miami, will remain on-site for an additional week until the mission is completed.
This decision was reached in coordination with Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi and based on requests received from Jewish organizations as well as “updates from the ground about the effectiveness and importance of this delegation,” the Ministry of Defence stated Tuesday.
Search and rescue crews have recovered 28 victims from the rubble of the collapsed Champlain Towers South building. 117 people are still unaccounted for and are presumed dead.
The Israeli delegation consists of seven reserve officers from the Home Front Command, all top experts in engineering and social care efforts.
Gantz stated that Israel “will continue to reach out to any country in need, particularly to our American friends and our Jewish brothers and sisters in the diaspora.”
He extended his condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and to extend his prayers for those injured and missing in the disaster.
He also thanked the members of the delegation “who carry out their mission to save lives and provide aid in such a noble manner.”
TPS
