Donations, Trading, and Pay Cuts: How Israel Is Financing a Tenth Month of War

IDF officers claim that the official IDF supply lines have not been able to keep pace with the shortages generated by ten months of war. According to Israeli media, members of the Alexandroni Brigade, which has been in frontline combat in Gaza for a significant period already, say they are not receiving the equipment they need from the IDF.

A letter from the brigade’s supply sergeants details a lack of observation equipment, uniforms, armor, weapon attachments, medical supplies, living quarters, and vehicles in good working order.

“Our soldiers are the cutting edge of the State of Israel, who have left families, businesses, studies, and routine - and therefore they deserve to be the first priority in the country,” the sergeants noted.

“More than 150 days later, the shortages of equipment have us collecting donations, which is a shameful situation that takes up valuable time from the operational tasks at hand. It is a shortage that also causes further attrition and a drop in the percentage of people who show up for reserve duty.”

The letter also denounces a recent plan to restrict units from using donated gear: “Any interruption or disruption of the donations will directly affect the combat readiness of the soldiers, and thus our erosion will increase. This equipment should be provided by the IDF, but until the army provides the donations, they should not be stopped.” (INN / VFI News)

“Lord, we ask that you will provide the soldiers with all the equipment they need to be able to fight and be protected while they are on missions to defend our country. We pray that any bureaucratic obstacles will be removed from receiving donations of equipment that can help the soldiers and that our army will be well-equipped to fight the wars ahead.”