IDF sending 150-person team to Turkey, including doctors and rescue workers

The head of the Israel Defense Forces aid delegation to Turkey speaks to reporters hours before departing to the areas affected by the major earthquake.

“Some 150 rescue experts are prepared to leave for Turkey in the next few hours. Of these, a third are headquarters and intelligence, and two-thirds have rescue, medical, and engineering capabilities,” says Col. (Res.) Golan Vach, commander of the IDF National Rescue Unit.

The aid delegation will depart from the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel within hours, “and upon landing, will immediately begin the rescue and assistance mission,” the IDF says.

The IDF prepares a shipment of aid and equipment for the search and rescue team departing to assist Turkey in the wake of a deadly earthquake on February 6, 2023 (IDF Spokesperson)

Earlier, a small IDF team departed for Turkey to survey the area to get an initial picture of the situation on the ground, before the larger delegation is expected to arrive later tonight.

Additionally, the IDF says the Medical Corps is preparing to send a delegation that will establish a field hospital in the affected area, if such a move is decided upon.