Despite military regulations restricting non-essential communications on Shabbos, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has continued to release press statements on Shabbosos, even when the information does not pertain to urgent matters or immediate threats to human life.
One such example occurred this past Shabbos, when the IDF issued a routine update summarizing operations carried out in Judea and Samaria during the month of April.
On the same day, the unit also distributed a video from the Israeli Air Force’s operations center, featuring senior commanders from the IAF and Northern Command overseeing an aerial strike in Syria. Additional updates included details of a mission conducted by the 19th Brigade in northern Gaza, as well as a report about the transfer of five injured Druze civilians from Syria to receive treatment in an Israeli medical facility.
According to official army protocols, issuing communications on Shabbos is allowed only when there is a danger to human life, a critical operational need, or when a public announcement is required and cannot be delayed. Other exceptions are permitted only with approval from the Military Rabbinate. However, top officials in the Rabbinate have stated that many of these releases are published without their prior knowledge, and that no formal process or consistent coordination exists between them and the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
{Matzav.com Israel}