Israeli military faces reservist crisis as Gaza war drags on: Report
The Israeli military is grappling with a growing crisis in its reserves as it prepares to intensify operations in Gaza, Haaretz reports.
Tens of thousands of reservists are set to be called up, but a rising number are refusing to serve, citing exhaustion, frustration with government policies, and uncertainty over the war’s objectives.
A senior reservist commander told Haaretz that brigade and battalion leaders are dealing with numerous cases of troops refusing to report, with many blaming the government’s failure to secure the release of captives. Others are protesting plans to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from military service and concerns over judicial reforms.
Reservists, already drained from hundreds of days in service, are finding it increasingly difficult to commit to further deployments.
Military officials insist the reserves remain operationally capable, but cracks in morale are becoming harder to ignore.