Israel Defense Forces combat soldiers from an unnamed unit wrote a letter Wednesday to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking for financial support because they "have nothing to eat" when they return home from their bases. "We were drafted to the IDF and we chose to be fighters out of a sense of calling and commitment to our society," the soldiers wrote. "From the first days of our service, we were shocked that we had to buy so much essential equipment with our own money -- money that we did not have. It quickly became obvious whose parents were able to help with the costs and whose parents were not. "Because the military salary does not even provide for our most basic necessities, we have all become beggars since being recruited to the IDF -- we have debts at the bank and everywhere else. "Instead of resting after grueling training exercises, we have no choice but to work in stressful jobs to pay debts or to help our parents with an extra 300 shekels per month." The letter, which was published on Channel 2 News online, went on to say, "This past summer, because of Operation Brother's Keeper and Operation Protective Edge, we weren't able to go to work, so we didn't even get to make those extra few pennies." An IDF official responded to the letter, saying, "We are aware of the problem of hungry soldiers in the IDF." According to the official, more than 100 million shekels ($27.3 million) are spent each year on family benefit payments for soldiers, more than 300 million shekels ($82 million) are spent to improve conditions for soldiers doing their mandatory service, 10 million shekels ($2.7 million) are spent on food parcels for soldiers, 6 million shekels ($1.6 million) of vouchers are given to soldiers without requiring any formal procedures and more than 6 million shekels are put toward holiday gift vouchers. "All the lone soldiers who fought in Operation Protective Edge received family benefit payments," the official added. "We extended the eligibility for this benefit to them so that the operation wouldn't impact them financially. "There shouldn't be a problem with doing that from a procedural standpoint. We passed along the necessary permit for the additional aid to the company commanders and battalion commanders and they responded as needed." International Fellowship of Christians and Jews President Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, whose organization is the largest donor to soldier welfare causes, also responded to the letter. "We know that the army helps soldiers as much as it can, but this letter shows that the war on poverty is just as important as the wars against our enemies," he said. Meanwhile, the IDF Spokesperson's Office issued a statement saying, "The IDF views dealing with individual [soldiers'] problems as a top priority. Every personal problem faced by a soldier is dealt with and will continue to be dealt with by the human resources officials in each division. "The IDF provides a wide range of solutions for those facing financial troubles, including hundreds of shekels given as holiday gifts to eligible soldiers, tens of thousands of shekels given to commanders to distribute to combat soldiers in need and grants of up to 3,000 shekels [$820] for combat soldiers in need of financial assistance. "If these soldiers approach their commanders or officers, their issues will be looked into and dealt with accordingly. The IDF is working toward raising the salary of soldiers doing mandatory service beginning in 2015, which will require adequate legislation and budgeting."
