A senior member of Israel’s secret service has revealed that governments across the world are engaged in a race to obtain medical supplies as the coronavirus pandemic is stressing national healthcare systems.
The head of the technology department at the Mossad, identified by the Hebrew initial “Het”, made the claim on the investigative programme Uvda on the Israeli Channel 12.
“I have overseen many operations in my life, and I’ve never dealt with such a complex operation,” Het said, as translated by The Times of Israel.
In his words, the Mossad had been tasked with bringing in more than 130,000 medical items needed to fight the ongoing pandemic, including gas masks, test kits, protective gear and ventilators.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel virus, may develop breathing difficulties in infected patients and deprive them of oxygen. Such patients require a ventilator, which aids in the body’s breathing process, relieving the failing lungs.
Some of the worst-affected countries in the world, including the United States and Italy, have already faced severe shortages of the life-saving equipment. Israel is going out of its way to avoid joining their ranks.
Last Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu officially instructed Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen to lead the national efforts to purchase the medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus.
An Israeli parliamentary report issued last week projected that the country had just 1,437 ventilators on hand for coronavirus patients. The health ministry was quick to dispute that estimate and stated that it was actually twice that figure, adding that it was working to buy additional ventilators and roll out more locally.
“The world is selling [ventilators] through cracks. We need to find the cracks,” Het said. “We are world champions in operations, and we know how to manage complex operations.”
He recounted that Mossad trucks once arrived at a European factory only to find out that the supplies had been snatched by another European country. On another occasion, the equipment made it on board the plane but had to be unloaded because the aircraft couldn’t take off due to a travel ban.
On Monday, Channel 12 reported that the Mossad had already obtained 27 ventilators and 20,000 virus test kits, as well as 10 million surgical masks and 25,000 N95 respirators. Another 180 ventilators were said to be expected by Wednesday.
Uvda reported that Israel was on course to acquire another 1.5 million N95 masks, 700,000 surgical masks, 2 million protective overalls and protective glasses, and 50,000 coronavirus medicines by the weekend. A lack of transparency with respect to the origin of that equipment has led to speculation that the equipment may have come from countries that don’t have official diplomatic ties with Israel. In addition, Israel has allegedly obtained information that was essential for producing ventilators locally.
There have been 760 cases confirmed in Israel since Tuesday – the country’s largest single-day increase of the pandemic – with the total number of cases climbing to 5,591. The infection has killed 21 people, while 91 remain in serious condition, including 76 who are being given ventilation.
