The IDF has connected more than 1,300 civilian defense teams to its new Netz system, designed to improve communication and speed up emergency responses.
By Hezy Laing
On October 7, 2023, Israeli communities faced heavily armed Hamas terrorists while local defense teams struggled to coordinate with military forces rushing to their aid. In some places, civilian defenders fought for hours before reinforcements arrived.
Three years later, the IDF has introduced a new digital system designed to address one of the most serious weaknesses exposed that day: the inability of local defenders and military commanders to share information quickly enough during a fast-moving attack.
Called Netz, meaning “Hawk” in Hebrew, the system has already been deployed in more than 1,300 civilian standby units across Israel, connecting tens of thousands of fighters with the IDF, Israel Police and other security agencies.
The technology is designed to give those forces something they urgently need during an emergency: a shared picture of what is happening and a faster way to coordinate their response.
Connecting Israel’s first line of defense
Civilian standby units, known in Hebrew as kitot konenut, are armed local defense teams responsible for responding to security threats in their communities. Particularly in border areas, they may be the first to confront terrorists before regular military forces arrive.
During the October 7 attacks, some of these teams fought courageously against overwhelming numbers. But even determined defenders faced enormous difficulties when communication broke down and information about the attackers’ locations was incomplete.
Netz is intended to help close that gap by connecting local security coordinators, standby units and military forces through a common digital platform.
According to the IDF, the system enables rapid mobilization, creates an updated operational picture and helps commanders coordinate the actions of different forces during an emergency.
Instead of each unit relying solely on its own information, participating forces can work from a shared understanding of the developing situation.
How Netz uses artificial intelligence
One of Netz’s most important features is its use of artificial intelligence and advanced information technology to support emergency coordination.
The system helps assemble information into a real-time operational picture, giving commanders a clearer understanding of events as they unfold. It is designed to support faster decisions about mobilizing and coordinating forces.
Consider a suspected infiltration near an Israeli community. Local defenders need to know where the threat has been reported, while responding soldiers need accurate information about the situation and the Israeli forces already operating nearby.
Netz is designed to improve the exchange of that information, reducing the confusion that can arise when multiple units respond to the same incident.
The IDF has not publicly detailed every function of the system’s artificial intelligence, including which tasks are automated and which remain under direct human control.
What is clear is that Netz is intended to make information more accessible and useful to the people responsible for managing an emergency.
Developed by reservists during the war
The project began as an initiative by military reservists following the outbreak of the war in October 2023.
Development is now led by the Alumot unit within the Information and Artificial Intelligence Division of the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate.
Alumot specializes in developing information and AI platforms for military operations, combining technological expertise with an understanding of the challenges soldiers face in the field.
The widespread deployment of Netz represents an important step beyond the original wartime initiative. What began as an effort to improve emergency coordination has become a nationwide system connecting more than 1,300 local defense teams.
Preparing for the next surprise attack
Netz is part of a broader change in the IDF’s approach to defending Israeli communities following October 7.
At an October 2026 meeting reviewing the military’s lessons from the attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasized the need to prepare for surprise warfare rather than depend on receiving advance warning.
The new system fits that approach by strengthening the connection between local defenders and the military forces responsible for supporting them.
Netz cannot replace trained fighters, adequate weapons, reliable communications or reinforcements arriving on time. Nor can software alone prevent a determined terrorist attack.
But it addresses a critical problem: local defenders cannot respond effectively to threats they cannot identify, and reinforcements cannot coordinate properly without knowing what is happening on the ground.
For the men and women defending Israel’s communities, that information could make a crucial difference in the opening minutes of an attack.
