IDF chief ends isolation, visits troops operating in virus-stricken Bnei Brak

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi visits the coronavirus-stricken city of Bnei Brak, meeting the commanders and troops stationed in the ultra-Orthodox suburb of Tel Aviv.

“The phrase ‘people’s army’ is getting a different importance in light of IDF soldiers performing this life-saving mission. It is an expression of reciprocal responsibility for the people of Israel. We will continue to increase our assistance to local government, to anywhere needed, widely and quickly. I am proud of your action,” Kohavi says during the visit.

Earlier today, two battalions of the IDF’s 98th Paratrooper Division began operating inside Bnei Brak, one of the cities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, delivering food and other necessities to the city’s elderly residents and others in need of assistance.

During Kohavi’s visit, he met with the commander of the 98th Division, Brig. Gen. Yaron Finkleman and other officers. He also observed some of the food distribution operations and heard about the unit’s plans for future activities, the military says.

Kohavi and two other generals entered into self-quarantine last week after taking part in a meeting with an officer who later tested positive for the disease.

— Judah Ari Gross