Soldiers using donated gear to face disciplinary action

i24NEWS has reported that the IDF will soon begin taking significantly stricter measures to prevent unapproved donations from reaching soldiers.

The commander of the Ground Forces, Major Tamir Yadai, commented on a recent report on the subject of the donations that have been streaming into Israeli units since the war began: "The findings are very alarming and disturbing. There is no transparency, there is no control, no record of what exists and what does not. Some things are being done that border on criminal or endanger the forces.”

At the outset of the war, soldiers reported there were severe shortages of equipment for the combatants who reported for duty. The most needed items were tactical helmets, ceramic vests, and sights.

Despite repeated IDF statements that there is enough equipment for everyone, the reports from frontline soldiers still persist, along with claims that what equipment they have been issued is frequently substandard and dangerous to use.

Soldiers have shared videos showing equipment dated from the Vietnam era, damaged beyond use, or expired after many years in storage, and units from every part of Israel have circulated fundraising messages appealing for donations of every kind of clothing, equipment, and tactical gear, from socks to ground-penetrating radar arrays for drones.

Jewish communities and supporters from Israel from all over the world have risen to the occasion, and it is conservatively estimated that the total value of the donations to Israel has reached $1.5B. Israeli journalist Yinon Magal shared a photo of a soldier he received stating "everything I am wearing, head to toe, was donated, with the exception of my rifle."

The commander of the Ground Forces is now promoting severe disciplinary measures for soldiers who received donated equipment, and in extreme cases the Military Police Corps would be involved. This directive has been passed to the soldiers. Some units in the Paratrooper Brigade have already received warnings that they would be court-martialed if they took any item donated.

The IDF Spokesperson's Office said: "Throughout the war, the IDF repeatedly emphasized that the procurement of military weaponry is organized in a systematic and professional process, which includes all the necessary tests - both in terms of the quality of the equipment and its suitability for its purpose, and in ensuring the required safety standard. Likewise, the use of non-standard equipment, which has been assimilated into units outside the standard channels for assimilating equipment - may create a significant risk of ineffectiveness and/or safety hazard. The tests conducted on donated equipment are intended to ensure the equipment's soundness. Donated equipment that does not meet the IDF standard will be prohibited from use. The use of equipment that does not meet IDF standards endangers the lives of soldiers in the field.”