In Israel, where reverence for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as the shield against existential threats is inculcated from birth, a bitter truth festers beneath the surface: rank-and-file soldiers, sent to fight, be maimed, and die for murky objectives, are scraping by with inadequate supplies, while the nation’s defense industries—Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and Elbit Systems—reap record profits from taxpayer money. This is not just a logistical failure; it is a moral betrayal, enabled by a public that, in its desperation to support the troops, unwittingly props up a broken system.
A Soldier’s Desperate Plea
Consider the plea of an IDF soldier, drafted abruptly to the northern front, his voice raw with urgency: “My name is [redacted], and on Friday, erev Shabbat, we were suddenly drafted after getting out of our last miluim [reserve duty] only two months ago! We are lacking basic logistical and cleaning materials because the battalion was surprised and nothing was ready! Basic things from toilet paper, shampoo, toothbrushes, brooms, sponges, rags, and all kinds of other things are lacking, and we need your help!” He goes further, hoping to lift his unit’s battered spirits with a barbecue, a small gesture to counter the despair of an unprepared deployment.
Multiple reputable sources cite a roughly estimated $1 billion raised for soldiers’ needs since October 7, 2023, from tactical boots to thermal clothing. The figure’s precision is uncertain due to the decentralized, grassroots nature of the fundraising and lack of comprehensive data, but the assertion holds as a reasonable estimate based on current evidence.
The Harsh Truth of Empty Supplies
When skeptics questioned the fundraiser’s legitimacy—how could a battalion lack toilet paper, with logistics officers supposedly ensuring readiness?—the soldier’s response was chilling: “It’s nice to believe that, but we actually are using our emergency toilet paper from the last line we were on, and it won’t last more than a few days. I’ve been told it will take up to a week for them to get everything under control. Even what they give us isn’t enough. Last time they gave us 12 shampoos for 36 dish soaps for our entire battalion. It’s a joke. Only through my campaigns have I equipped my entire battalion. The only thing that my battalion gets from the battalion now is our guns and ammo. The rest of our equipment is from donations. Otherwise, we would be wearing outdated, unsafe equipment.” His words echo a grim reality: the IDF, despite Israel’s colossal defense budget, is failing its soldiers at the most basic level.
Abandoned in Faith and Gear
This is not an isolated incident. Soldiers have shared videos decrying military-issued knee pads, “great 10 years ago,” now worn out and useless, passed through countless hands.
Religious soldiers face additional indignities: Despite propaganda boasting abundant and generous IDF Rabbinate support for its soldiers, shortages of kosher food, prayer books, tefillin, and other ritual items force them to rely on civilian donations. Photos circulating online show soldiers receiving donated tzitzit and siddurim from organizations like Boots for Israel, which has distributed thousands of such items alongside 46,000 pairs of tactical boots. One image captures a soldier holding a donated tefillin set, his face a mix of gratitude and exhaustion, a stark reminder that even spiritual sustenance is crowdsourced.
These shortages are not just logistical oversights; they are a betrayal of soldiers who risk their lives under the banner of a nation that prides itself on unity.
Profits Over Patriotism
Meanwhile, Israel’s defense giants are swimming in profits. In 2024, Rafael’s sales hit $4.8 billion, with profits soaring 64% to $257 million. IAI’s revenues reached $6.11 billion, its net income up 55% to $493 million. Elbit Systems, a publicly traded behemoth, posted $6.83 billion in sales, with a 22% revenue spike in Q1 2025, over a third from Israeli contracts.
These figures, fueled by taxpayer-funded contracts, could equip every IDF soldier with state-of-the-art gear, rebuild hospitals, or fund education for a generation. Instead, they pad corporate coffers, with Elbit paying dividends to shareholders—some abroad—while soldiers beg for toilet paper.
A Tangle of Trust and Treachery
The hypocrisy is staggering. These firms, born from Israel’s need for self-reliance, now exploit wartime crises. Rafael and IAI, state-owned, are meant to return profits to the public, yet Rafael’s $680 million in dividends since 2002 and IAI’s $430 million from 2017–2023 are mere crumbs compared to their earnings. Elbit, privatized and listed on NASDAQ, funnels profits to investors, with a single shareholder holding 10,000 shares pocketing $6,000 in Q1 2025 dividends—money traced back to Israeli taxes. Worse, allegations swirl that these companies, with government approval, sold arms to Qatar, a Hamas backer, raising questions about whose security they truly serve.
Enabling the Injustice
This scandal is enabled by a public that, out of love for its soldiers, fundraises to fill the gaps. Organizations like Unit 11741, delivering 11,000 tactical helmets, and Boots for Israel, providing boots and religious supplies, are lifelines—but they are also bandages on a gaping wound.
Every donation, every barbecue fundraiser, normalizes a system where soldiers are sent to war ill-equipped, while defense giants thrive. Those who accept this status quo, who cheer the troops while ignoring the profiteering, are complicit in a cycle that sacrifices lives for corporate gain.
A Call to Reclaim Trust
Israel’s defense industry must be held accountable.
The State Comptroller’s 2023 report on Rafael’s governance failures—understaffed boards, lax audits—demands action, not lip service. A defense procurement ombudsman is needed to give taxpayers a voice. Laws must define “excessive” wartime profits and mandate transparent budgets.
Without these reforms, the nation risks losing more than soldiers’ lives—it risks losing its soul. For a people who live in constant crisis, trusting their defenders should not be a luxury. It should be a guarantee.
