IDF troops serving in Judea and Samaria have been complaining they routinely get sent on missions without life-saving ceramic body armor because of a severe shortage in the military, Israel Hayom has learned. An inquiry made by the newspaper on this issue has revealed that units deployed in other areas have also been affected by this lack of protective gear. According to sources familiar with the details, body armor and additional equipment necessary to save lives are handled at the brigade level, but they too have faced a severe lack of the necessary ceramic armor.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
To address this situation, the Judea and Samaria Division has been handing its brigades ceramic body armor on a rotating basis, but this has not solved the situation, as fighters say they are often sent to carry out operations during which only some of them are given the vests. On top of that, they say that since there is no personal protective equipment of that nature, it is also used on a rotating basis for guard duty.
"It's like sending a soldier for a stakeout with a plastic gun," one source told Israel Hayom. "How come there is enough money to fund the Haredim and the yeshivot but not life-saving lives? This is just mind-boggling.".
The IDF said in response to an Israel Hayom question on the matter that it was unaware of cases where soldiers are sent on missions without ceramic body armor."We have been aware of claims made that there is an uneven distribution of the equipment used for ceramic body armor," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said. "The military is currently working on further procurement and in recent weeks units in Judea and Samaria have been given additional ceramic vests. We stress that fighters do not get sent on missions that require such protective gear if they do not have it."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
