I truly hate to promote Hamas videos/propaganda but the video published today is worth watching (trigger warning, it is violent):
Here is the report on the incident from the Times of Israel:
A medical officer and a reservist paramedic with the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit were seriously wounded during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF announces.
In the same incident, an officer was moderately wounded, and two more soldiers were lightly hurt.
They were all taken to hospitals in Israel for treatment.
Unit 11741 has been overwhelmed with requests from combat medics and doctors that were sent into Gaza with sub-par gear (if they received ceramic plates at all).
According to the established IDF doctrine (at least how it is seen in the field), only “combat” soldiers are prioritized for ceramic plates and safe helmets. Since the medics and doctors are not on the “front lines” but instead responding to an ongoing incident, they are lower on the priority list.
This is an unethical and dangerous standard as evidenced in the Hamas video and through the unfortunate fact that so many doctors and medics have fallen during this war.
As we can see in Hamas’ video, these brave men and women are clearly on the front lines and deserve proper gear.
Key Questions:
Will the IDF address the standard for which soldiers qualify for proper equipment?
What is the determining factor in deciding who is “in danger” and who is “safe” within a war zone?
If a soldier is determined to be “safe” but personally would prefer to pay for upgraded equipment, are they allowed to purchase their own equipment or receive donations?
If you would like to help fix problems like this please consider Unit 11741.