Trackimo device
Trackimo deviceBeit Aryeh

A new pilot program in the Beit Aryeh community in Samaria will see 150 residents, many of them teens and young adults, equipped with a new tracking device. The devices, by Israeli firm Trackimo, will keep track of the location of users in order to ensure that they can be quickly found – in case of emergency.

The decision to use the trackers was made in the wake of the kidnapping of three Israeli teens - Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel, and Gilad Sha'ar – who were found murdered by Hamas terrorists, after being reported missing for days. The IDF, law enforcement and rescue services, and many volunteer teams, spent long hours searching for them, eventually finding their bodies buried in a field near Hevron.

Had the teens been in possession of a tracker like the Trackimo device, they would probably have been found much more quickly. The device uses GPS and includes connection to a cellular network using an international SIM card, so it can quickly connect to any phone system and contact emergency services immediately. The device reports location and sends emergency alerts to cellphones, computers, or other devices.

The location services operate automatically, and a user's location is tracked and recorded, so the last known position of the user is always available. In the event of an emergency, the user presses a button which sends distress messages to authorities, alerting them that the user is in trouble. In the case of Beit Aryeh and other communities in Judea and Samaria, that would include a message to local security authorities and the IDF.

Avi Naim, head of the Beit Aryeh Local Council, said that the project should be instituted throughout Judea and Samaria. “Last year, the security situation in the region changed in light of the kidnapping of the teens, and things have remained tense. We need to learn from the past and find the best ways to protect our residents,” he said.