'Israel' running out of soldiers amid Gaza, Lebanon war strain, losses
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The Israeli occupation is suffering from manpower shortages as reservists are strained due to prolonged stays without proper compensation.
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Family and the wife of an Israeli reservist gather around his grave during his funeral at the military cemetery in Netanya, occupied Palestine, on July 12, 2024. (AP)
More than a year after the outbreak of war with Gaza, the Israeli occupation forces are grappling with a severe strain on its reservists, facing challenges in recruitment while managing operations on multiple fronts, including a new front in Lebanon.
Since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the Israeli military has mobilized approximately 300,000 reservists, 18% of whom are men over 40, typically exempt from mandatory service.
This has created considerable strain as these older reservists are called upon for extended deployments. Within the Israeli occupation, military service is compulsory from age 18, with specific exemptions that include certain religious groups and medical deferments.
The Israeli occupation is waging war on two fronts: one in Gaza and the other in Lebanon. Hundreds of soldiers have perished in Gaza, and dozens more in the invasion of Lebanon, which started on September 30. However, it is unclear how many soldiers have perished in the cross-border operations carried out by Hezbollah.
Reservists have experienced prolonged duty, some unable to return to their lives for up to six months. In some cases, the impact of this prolonged service has been devastating for reservists' livelihoods. A father of two, who spoke anonymously to AFP, reported losing his job due to his extended service.
Drastic costs for Israeli soldiers
Freelancers are especially vulnerable, as war has forced many to close their businesses despite the government’s minimum income guarantees for reservists.
The prolonged war has reignited public debate within the Israeli occupation over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews, many of whom have traditionally been exempted from military service. Protests erupted outside military bases in August as the IOF initiated call-ups for young seminary students, historically exempt from service.
The ultra-Orthodox population accounts for roughly 14% of the occupation's Jewish population, or 1.3 million people, with 66,000 of conscription age currently exempted.
While the exemption dates back to 1948 for yeshiva students dedicated to Torah study, the Supreme Court ruled in June that the government cannot continue these exemptions without a legal framework.
Ultra-Orthodox political leaders, including Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, are pushing for legislation to protect the exemption before the year's end.
'Israel' underreporting casualties
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Monday that around 12,000 Israeli occupation soldiers were either injured or killed since the beginning of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which later expanded into the West Bank and along the northern front with Lebanon.
"Eleven thousand soldiers were injured and 890 others killed," Lapid told Israeli Channel 12, underscoring that the number of dead and injured soldiers in the Israeli army will continue to increase if the leadership of the current occupation government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "doesn’t do anything."
“It cannot be said that this didn’t happen. It cannot be ignored that 11,000 soldiers are injured and 890 others killed,” Lapid exclaimed.
According to Quds News Network, Lapid emphasized that the military conceals the true casualty numbers, as he asserted, "There are limits to how much we accept the alternative facts,” adding that the figures that he provided are "correct".
Significantly, Lapid also revealed that "if you have any doubt about these data, you should go to the hospitals: Tel HaShomer, Ichilov, Rambam."
Less than 4% of Haredim joined service
Israeli Army Radio reported on Monday that preliminary data on the Haredi recruitment process indicates that less than 4% of the 3,000 recruitment orders issued to Haredi youth since last July have resulted in individuals joining the military service.
Commenting on the recruitment of Haredim, Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the Israel Beiteinu party, criticized the government for its handling of the situation. He highlighted the opposition of Haredi factions to the recruitment law and their failure to comply with it. Lieberman asserted that "the army is violating the law" and emphasized that "Gallant must ensure that the law is applied to everyone."
"The government has extended regular service by four months and reserve service by a year," Lieberman told the Israeli website Ynet. He added, "No more quotas, targets, and exemptions—one people, one conscription," emphasizing that "the entire system of quotas must come to an end."
He added that he expects both the Chief of Staff and the head of the "Anti-Corruption Authority" to adhere to the law, stating, "The vast majority of Likud voters and religious Zionists support a single conscription law for all. We have never known how to move forward and make a decision—that's the essence of the matter."
In contrast, Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told Yedioth Ahronoth, "I have not changed my position. I stated from the beginning that either a conscription law is passed, or nothing is passed. I am engaging with both the IDF and the Haredim."
He added that the army needs to address the gaps in numbers: "It is demanding 10,000 soldiers but is willing to accept only 3,000."
