Two Israelis who were caught in a rebel fighting zone were rescued

An Israeli couple, who were in the middle of a vacation in Ethiopia, came across a battle zone last week in the town of Debark, which is located in the north of the country, about 90 km from the city of Gondar. Relative calm in the area, and now the clashes between the parties have surprisingly resumed.With the outbreak of the clashes, the roads to and from the town were blocked and the couple, who were the only Israelis in the area, remained besieged in the hostel where they were staying, while there was a fear that the electricity and communication networks would collapse and the rebels would advance in their direction.

The two made contact with their families and with the rescue team of Magnus and the health department of Menorah Mivathim via satellite and cellular communication, and immediately upon receiving the two’s appeal, a joint team was activated to assess the situation in the area where the two were and to examine the fastest and safest rescue methods to reach a place of safety.

During the evaluations of the situation, several alternatives were considered for rescuing the couple and finally it was decided to evacuate cautiously by car. This is, among other things, because aerial rescue was dropped from the chapter, as helicopters and other aircraft may be an attractive attack target for the rebels, thus endangering the peace of the insured.

It wasn’t until Friday morning, after nerve-wracking days, that an initial report was received that the roads to Labarak were opened to traffic. Despite this, the couple were instructed to remain in place, and a local contact was sent to see if they could indeed be safely rescued. After gathering intelligence, it became clear that the risk to the safety of the couple remained high, and it was decided to wait for Saturday, when two rescue teams went out to see that the road was indeed clear and carefully transported them to the local airport. In the afternoon everyone could breathe a sigh of relief and the couple continued their trip towards the next destination.

Orna Ben Yosef, the mother of the insured woman who was rescued, said: “My daughter and her husband flew to a honeymoon that started in Ethiopia. On September 14, after three days in the country, they called and said, ‘Don’t worry, we fell into an area of ​​riots between rebels in the north of the country with no possibility of rescue. The guide took us to a sheltered structure in the mountains, a kind of hostel.”

“During the following days, the Magnus company and the Menorah Motvethim company, led by the director of the health department, Orit Kramer, were in contact with us by phone throughout the days, including on Friday night. Needless to say, we went through five days where we ‘didn’t breathe,’ until Saturday night, when they were rescued and continued to Namibia, and we We’re back to our crazy routine.”

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Orit Kramer, deputy to the CEO of Menorah Mvithaim and director of the health department: “We do everything to help our policyholders, anywhere in the world, and give them 100% security and support, among other things through the excellent professionals of Magnus. The managers of Menorah Mivathim were in continuous contact with the couple and their parents from the moment they first contacted us and throughout Shabbat, until receiving the good news of their safe rescue. The happy ending of the event shows how important the coverage of search and rescue is, even if the destination of the trip is apparently calm or on the face of it the trip is not labeled as a challenging trip.”

Yehli Yanai, manager of the Magnus search and rescue operations desk: “We are committed to rescue and ensure the safety of our customers anywhere in the world. Magnus provides close escort and full support from the moment of contact to the successful and safe conclusion of each event. We are happy that this is how the rescue of the couple in Africa ended and that our company has the The ability to provide good and fast solutions that keep our customers safe anywhere and in any situation.”