Political and military officials in Israel are increasingly inclined to bolster the country’s military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The Israeli oldest daily newspaper Haaretz informs about this, citing its own sources.

The growing evidence of Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians makes Israel’s shaky neutrality in the war less tenable.

According to the newspaper, in a discussion of the issue, most officials supported Israel in increasing the amount of military and civilian supplies provided to Ukraine.

An additional discussion is expected in the coming days, during which the list of items that could be shipped over to Ukraine will be reviewed.

Officials claimed that between helmets for soldiers to the Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile system, there are plenty of items that could be transferred.

Assistance from Israel

There was a consensus among the relevant officials that, at least at this stage, the air defense systems, advanced weaponry, and attack systems would not be provided to the Ukrainian army.

Israel intends to take a more substantial step, but the support will be more declarative in nature and will not include substantial quantities of supplies, partly because the United States and European countries are already providing Ukraine with weapons.

So far, Israel has provided humanitarian assistance, including the field hospital that was set up on Ukrainian territory, in addition to approximately 100 tons of humanitarian supplies that have included water purification systems, medical equipment, blankets, and coats.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz had also recently approved protective vests and helmets to be shipped for the Ukrainian army, but back then Israel was making statements that it does not have intentions to transfer the advanced weaponry which the Ukrainians have been requesting since Russia invaded the country on February 24.

According to one source speaking on the condition of anonymity, the reasons for supporting Ukraine cited at the meeting included an understanding that the United States and a number of European countries are expecting Israel to take a more distinct position as to which side it is on in the war and to back its decision with deeds and not just statements by political officials, as senior as they might be.

In addition, there is a concern in Israel that its military industries, which are exporting advanced weapons systems to various countries, could be hurt if the countries that have these Israeli security systems would begin to worry if in a crunch, Israel might be refraining from continuing to provide systems and weaponry due to political considerations.