A still camera, a video lens and an M4 rifle. This is the main equipment carried by IDF documentation soldiers as they head into some of the most complex locations, from combat zones in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria to areas devastated by disaster and destruction on the other side of the world.
Recently, IDF documentation soldiers took part in two international aid missions: the “Reim Alliance” mission to Colombia following the country’s powerful earthquake and a rescue mission to assist those affected by the earthquake in Venezuela. Through their lenses, they documented not only rescue and engineering operations but also captured the human drama, quiet diplomacy and encounters between soldiers in green uniforms and local civilians.
In Colombia, Sgt. H. and Sgt. Y. found themselves at the heart of search and rescue efforts in the city of Cali. The delegation, which included about 80 search and rescue, engineering and technology specialists from the Home Front Command, along with representatives of the Defense and Foreign ministries, worked alongside local forces.
“Getting off the plane as a regular-service soldier alongside reservists and senior officers for a mission like this is a historic event,” Sgt. Y. recalls. “I was attached to the commander of the National Search and Rescue Unit. We moved between the sites. At one of them, where a building had collapsed near a hospital, I photographed the overall situation over the commander’s shoulder. You could see the destruction, but also dozens of local residents who pitched in to help clear the site.”
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
For Sgt. H., who was stationed at the main site at a multistory residential building where most of the search efforts were concentrated, the human angle was the most important.
“Our goal is to document the forces, but what struck me was the residents’ willingness to help,” she says. “The rescue teams and population officers met with the families and learned their names. Every time someone missing was found, we knew exactly who was being rescued. These are moving moments that are etched in the photographs.”
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
Alongside the direct assistance in locating 29 missing people and surveying more than 100 buildings, the visual documentation also captured the breaking down of barriers.
“At one of the sites, a local family came over to us, smiled and gave us high-fives,” Sgt. Y. says. “It stood out especially against the backdrop of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that had taken place in the area earlier. The connection formed on the ground was purely a human gesture of solidarity, and it was expressed through the most genuine hugs.”
'Enormous support on the ground'
As the role of the documentation soldier continues to evolve, the team produced more than 1,000 photographs and video clips during 12 days of activity in Colombia, including training in vertical photography tailored to digital platforms and social media.
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
“Beyond the operational importance, our photographs are also meant for the families back home,” H. says. “These soldiers left home in mid-August to save lives on the other side of the world. The photographs show their loved ones the magnitude of what they are doing.”
For Sgt. First Class S. (22), who recently completed his military service, the mission to Venezuela was part of a chain of operational events in which he had taken part since November 2023. The delegation to Venezuela was sent to assess the situation and provide advice following two earthquakes, with the goal of developing an engineering plan to rehabilitate buildings.
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
“We arrived in a country with no official diplomatic relations with Israel, but on the ground we encountered enormous support,” says S., who was attached to the delegation commander. “The role of a documentation soldier is to be on the front line and tell the story. I documented high-level meetings with the local government, but also the engineering work of assessing buildings.”
One of S.’s most significant photographs captured the moment when the local infrastructure minister informed a family that its home was uninhabitable and would have to be demolished.
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
“You see all the emotion and human turmoil of a family losing its home, and on the other side, IDF soldiers coming over and embracing them. It is the most human encounter there can be.”
S. represents a new generation of operational documentation soldiers who, alongside international missions, operate deep inside enemy territory. During his service, he documented operations in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, culminating in the moment he documented the return of live hostages in one of the releases.
“Going from the Gaza Strip and Syria to a civilian aid mission is a conceptual shift,” S. says. “In combat zones, soldiers are happy to see the camera. It boosts morale and captures the visual side of the fighting, along with the jokes about equipment and food in the evening. When I saw my photographs appear on the front pages of newspapers in Israel and around the world, or when I documented the hostages returning home, I realized that this was history unfolding in real time. The camera is not just a reporting tool. It is the lasting testimony to the IDF’s work.”