Allegations of “catastrophic” sanitary conditions have been made at an IDF base in Haifa, with up to 13 rats being spotted in a single day, according to a report by N12 News.
Appeals have been made for months, according to an anonymous source who works in the base’s kitchen. He explained that rats are seen entering through holes in the walls, air-conditioning ducts, and plumbing systems. “Everything here is rotten and exposed," he said.
According to N12, the allegations were made at the Haifa Naval Training Base, which houses approximately 1,200 female and male soldiers. Despite the allegations, there hasn’t been an adequate response, the source said.
He recalled an incident in which he was preparing lunch for the soldiers: “We took a pot out of the refrigeration room to start heating it. I came to stir it with a large spoon, and suddenly I lifted the spoon and saw a rat inside the pot. It was one of the most shocking things I have ever seen,” he said.
'Rats gnaw through containers'
Rats are also seen gnawing into meal trays intended for soldiers who don’t eat at the dining hall, he continued. “The rats simply gnaw through the lids of the food containers. If we see a bite mark or dirt, we throw everything away. But it is impossible to know about everything,” he explained.
It’s become customary for kitchen staff to start the day by documenting conditions at the base, the source said. “We arrive at 5 a.m., photograph the time and date, enter the refrigeration rooms, and see the rats running into the holes in the walls.”
According to the IDF, renovations were carried out in the kitchen, which the source explained consisted of sealing openings in the walls and in the refrigeration rooms, said N12.
“They [the rats] come back every time,” he said. “The building is very old, the plumbing is rotten, and the ceiling is old. This is simply not a place that should be operating a kitchen.”
IDF handling the matter, military assures
According to the report, the military assured that it is handling the matter and that, following the incidents, an exterminator will visit the base weekly.
However, according to the source, the kitchen employees bought rap traps because the military's solutions were insufficient. “They bring an exterminator, put down plastic traps, and it does not help at all,” he explained.
“What interests them [the military officials] is that there should be bread and that tables should be cleaned. I say there have been rats in the kitchen for months, and it simply does not interest anyone,” he claimed.
“The real solution is to close the kitchen and carry out a thorough renovation,” he concluded. “It is impossible to continue like this.”
The IDF responded that the images showing a rat in a pot and gnawed food containers were from several months ago and that the situation has been handled, N12 reported.
It also said that routine inspections are carried out by army health officials, alongside pest control and regular preventive measures, to maintain the base's cleanliness and the soldiers’ health.
While renovations are underway, soldiers are receiving catering from an external provider, the military added.