Farmers arriving at IDF assembly areas before entering the Gaza border area and surrounding towns were shocked to find crates of imported fruits and vegetables intended for IDF soldiers instead of local Israeli produce.
Recent records reveal a distribution of cucumbers imported from Turkey and apples from Italy to IDF soldiers.
This revelation follows a recent controversy over the transfer of tomatoes from Turkey being placed in crates marked made in Israel.
What is the problem with Israelis having Turkish fruits and vegetables?
Due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's harsh stance against Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas, a spontaneous boycott movement emerged, urging consumers to avoid purchasing vegetables and fruits from Turkey while encouraging support for Israeli agriculture, particularly from the Gaza border area.
Due to a shortage of produce on store shelves during the war, importers brought in 4,500 tons of fruits and vegetables from abroad, only to be left with a surplus.
Some retailers faced backlash on social media, while others found creative ways to divert attention from this fact, such as distributing the imported goods under the guise of Israeli produce.
Despite the Defense Ministry's statement asserting that the IDF would only purchase Israeli goods, it appears that soldiers still consume foreign-farmed fruits and vegetables. Ironically, all these imports are supplied by a single supplier in the South, who denies ownership of the goods depicted in the pictures