IDF holds Bedouin conference to address war challenges and propose solutions

The IDF held an in-depth conference on Sunday for Israel's Bedouin community to map out challenges and solutions for the Bedouin population in light of  "lessons learned from the war," Israel's military said on Monday. 

The conference was led by Home Front Command Chief Major General Rafi Milo, who presented an overview of the efforts aimed toward the Bedouin community, along with focused outreach activities planned for it, the IDF explained.

The meeting aimed to map out the unique challenges of the Bedouin community and propose diverse solutions, which will subsequently be translated into an organized work plan, the military noted. 

"Our commitment as the Home Front Command, together with the heads of the local authorities, is to ensure preparedness and provide resilience and a sense of security," said Milo.

"We will dedicate our utmost efforts to learn as much as possible from the Bedouin community and improve. I see this as a shared mission—Home Front Command together with you," he emphasized. 

Notably, many Bedouins fought to save lives during the Hamas attacks on October 7. They also served in the IDF throughout the war and continue to do so.

Victims of Hamas 

Twenty-one Bedouin Israelis were murdered on October 7, in addition to five Arab Israelis from the North. Seven of the Bedouin causalities – a woman and six children – were killed by a rocket fired by Hamas, which landed in their home not far from Kseifeh in the Negev desert, and the rest were murdered from zero distance during Hamas’s lethal raid on Israeli towns and at the Nova festival in Re’im.

Additionally, seven Bedouin Israelis were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, with five remaining there still, after siblings Aisha (17) and Bilal (18) Alziadana were released in the last exchange deal in December. One of those still held by Hamas is Hisham Al-Sayed, who was kidnapped almost nine years ago by the terrorist group.

Ohad Merlin contributed to this report.