Over 1.2 Billion Shekels Donated to IDF Since October 7 War
Data shows over 1.2 billion shekels in donations have been given to the IDF since October 7. The funds provided critical equipment, infrastructure, and soldier welfare amidst ongoing budget disputes.
More than 1.2 billion shekels have been donated to the IDF since the October 7 attacks and the outbreak of the war by the Israeli public and Diaspora Jewry, according to data from the Association for the Wellbeing of Soldiers provided to Ynet. The association stated that this is an unprecedented sum transferred for the welfare of service members, equipment procurement, infrastructure improvement, and assistance to soldiers and their families.
The Association for the Wellbeing of Soldiers is the authorized charity for transferring donations to the IDF. Operation Swords of Iron is the first war in which it operates in its current format following the 2016 merger between the association and the Libi Fund. At this stage, comparative data on the scope of donations in the years preceding the war, such as 2021 and 2022, was not provided to Ynet, making it impossible to determine the increase compared to routine years.
Breakdown of Donations and Equipment Gaps
According to the data breakdown, 134 million shekels were donated for assistance and equipment procurement at the beginning of the war, and 64 million shekels were used to purchase support vouchers for service members. Another 227 million shekels were allocated for infrastructure investments in bases and outposts, and over 197 million shekels were invested in equipping IDF camps.
The data also shows that 104 million shekels were used to purchase 160 ambulances, tens of thousands of winter kits, hygiene products, and underwear for male and female combatants at the front. In addition, companies donated 645 "refreshment units" for service members. Donations also served purposes beyond equipment and infrastructure: more than 4,000 lone soldiers were flown to visit their families abroad, and assistance was funded for over 14,000 bereaved family members who participated in recreation cycles. Additionally, donation funds helped finance a dedicated resilience center for treating post-trauma.
The massive scope of donations takes on additional significance against the backdrop of shortages that combatants have warned about since the beginning of the war. Just two days after the October 7 attacks, on October 9, 2023, Ynet reported that social media was flooded with requests from families of reserve service members asking for donations of basic combat gear—among other things, ceramic vests, helmets, knee pads, and additional equipment. Requests were also made for dry food, warm clothing, headlamps, and hygiene products.
Since then, additional testimonies have accumulated from fighters and reservists who said they were forced to supplement equipment through donations—and sometimes even from their own pockets. Just today, Z., a reservist in the David Division who reported for training before operational deployment, said that he and his friends continue to raise funds for equipment. "We organized our own uniforms, shoes, helmets. Everything came from donations we collect, and we continue fundraising so we have proper sights for weapons, or to replace low-level old operational equipment. We are not militias," he said.
Coping with the threat of explosive drones also exposed cases where reserve service members had to improvise solutions themselves relying on donations. In the northern sector, fighters raised funds to purchase nets designed to provide protection from drones, and in other cases turned to local authorities and farmers to obtain nets from soccer goals and banana plantations. "It's all from donations by private individuals," said Maj. (res.) T., who finished a three-month tour in the northern sector.
The Battle Over the State Budget
The data is also published amid the escalation of the dispute between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense surrounding the defense establishment budget. The meeting yesterday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid ended without agreements, and the Treasury claims there is no need at this stage to transfer additional funds—and that 15 billion shekels already approved by the government are stuck in the Knesset Finance Committee.
Conversely, the defense establishment warns against harming the ability to advance crucial deals and procurements. The defense budget currently stands at 143 billion shekels, and its increase to 158 billion has already been approved by the government but has yet to be completed in the Knesset. The defense establishment is now demanding to increase the budget to 183 billion shekels.
The Treasury claims that "the defense establishment has all the funds necessary for urgent activity," and accuses the Ministry of Defense of poor management and lack of transparency. The defense establishment presents a different picture and warns against the consequences of budget delays.
Amid this dispute, the donation data illustrates the extent to which the public in Israel and the Diaspora mobilized for the service members—alongside the fact that throughout nearly three years of fighting, units and soldiers in the field continued in various cases to also rely on donation funds to cover shortages in equipment, infrastructure, and service conditions.
