A classified document obtained by The Jerusalem Post revealed the extent of the demand for military equipment in the weeks following the October 7 massacre: 350 requests.
The document was presented in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on October 23 and includes nearly 350 requests for military equipment gathered by an ad-hoc call center that MKs formed in the days after the massacre.
Notably, many of the requests came from regular army units and not just from reserve units. More surprisingly, this included special units. A significant portion of the requests originated from combat reserve units, while others came from military medical personnel and even the air force. Other requests were submitted by specific individuals, and one even came from a municipality.
Frequently demanded items
The most common request was for bulletproof tactical vests, with a demand for approximately 4,000. Next were approximately 2,500 military helmets, of which 2,000 were specifically for lighter tactical helmets; around 600 special military knee pads (“Robocop,” “Ninja,” or silicon); 200 requests related to medical equipment, including 150 tourniquets and a number of fully equipped medical kits for doctors and medics; 40 reflector sights; and 20 rifles.Other notable requests in large numbers included tactical gloves, commando knives, tactical uniforms, and warm clothing; additional requests in smaller numbers included night-vision goggles, laser pointers, and tactical flashlights.
The demand for military equipment was likely much larger than recorded, as members of Knesset redirected many requests directly to donors without inserting them into the document. However, the document sheds new details on the scope of the demand for equipment in the first two weeks of the war.
Despite widespread reports of a lack of equipment in the early days following the war, IDF Spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari stated on October 9 that “no equipment was lacking” and that “patience was required,” adding that “even if it takes more time, everything will arrive.”
Hagari said the complaints stemmed from the fact that over 300,000 reservists had reported for duty – an unprecedented number – and that in some reserve units, recruitment levels reached 200%, meaning that over double the amount of personnel that were summoned showed up. Hagari also stressed that not all units needed commando-level tactical gear, so not all requests were critical.
However, MKs interviewed on the matter criticized the army’s conduct. According to Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), who was part of a team of MKs handling the issue, the hundreds of requests made outside the chain of command demonstrated the reality of missing equipment.
The IDF was ignoring reality and was unwilling to ease some of its restrictions to accept at least part of the equipment, according to Malinovsky. The military even knowingly lied about how much equipment it had, Malinovsky said.
While the IDF was justifiably concerned that the donations would include sub-par equipment that could endanger troops, Malinovsky said the army’s aloof and inflexible attitude showed that ego played a part as well, as the IDF did not want to be viewed as unprepared. Malinovsky even said that this attitude was a symptom of a deeper systemic problem in the military – traits she said contributed to the intelligence and operational failures of October 7.
MK Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), who dealt in the Knesset operations room with obtaining rifles for civilian first-response teams, also said the IDF had not been truthful about the real situation on the ground. Regarding rifles, Forer said he and other MKs argued with officials in the Israel Police and the military to enable small towns – especially those near the borders – to obtain rifles. Only after the aforementioned document was presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee did the IDF begin to cooperate slightly more and began to take the MKs’ involvement seriously, Forer said.
“Due to the vast reporting [for service] of reservists at the start of the conflict, the IDF purchased tens of thousands of [pieces of] protective gear for the combat soldiers’ use. Throughout the war, the IDF has repeatedly stressed that the procurement of combat military equipment is organized in an orderly and professional manner,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in response.
“The IDF acts continuously to ensure that the donations that are received pass the necessary examinations – both in the context of the quality of the equipment and its appropriateness to its purpose and in ensuring the necessary safety standards. Donated equipment that does not meet the IDF’s standard will be prohibited from use. All units of the army are issued equipment that meets the standard and according to the quantities that correspond to the structure and organization of the field units for battle.”
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.