IOF chief says conquering Gaza is a 'fantasy' due to manpower shortage

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
14 Apr 2025 23:05

While a cabinet minister dismissed the report as “a complete fake”, and another source similarly rejected its claims as “reckless,” a third source affirmed that Zamir’s reported remarks were “100%” said.

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"Israel's" incoming military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, places notes in the Western Wall, in al-Quds' Old City on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (AP)

"Israel’s" security cabinet should set aside unrealistic expectations regarding the war on Gaza, the Israeli military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, told members of the body, according to a Ynet report published Monday.

Zamir reportedly stated that cabinet members should “give up on some of their fantasies” due to a shortage of combat troops. He is also quoted as saying that even in the current operation against Hamas, the cabinet will rely solely on Israeli soldiers, "and not on a complementary diplomatic move."

While a cabinet minister dismissed the Ynet report as “a complete fake” in comments to The Jerusalem Post, and another source similarly rejected its claims as “reckless,” a third source affirmed that Zamir’s reported remarks were “100%” said during the meeting.

In response, the Israeli military issued a statement, claiming that "the report that was allegedly published regarding the chief of staff’s position before the political echelon pertains to what was said in a closed and operational discussion. It has been distorted, and it does not reflect the reality of the matter."

Hamas not the only threat to 'Israel': MK

The reported shortage of available combat personnel sparked reactions from several members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who linked the issue to the government's ongoing failure to boost enlistment among ultra-Orthodox jews.

An increasing number of Israelis are calling for ultra-Orthodox men to take part in mandatory military service.

While most Jewish Israeli men are obligated to serve in the military, members of the ultra-Orthodox community have long been granted broad exemptions to pursue religious studies in seminaries.

These exemptions have been a longstanding source of political tension, and the issue contributed to the collapse of a previous Netanyahu-led coalition in 2018, triggering years of political gridlock.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently heads a coalition that includes two ultra-Orthodox parties and several far-right factions.

Committee chairman MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) remarked, “If Hamas was the IDF’s only mission, the army is certainly strong and capable enough to handle Hamas."

"However, Hamas is not the central threat to the State of Israel at present, and it is certainly not the only threat,” he pointed out.

Edelstein emphasized the need for a larger standing military to confront "Israel’s" broader security challenges, emphasizing that “Israel needs a larger army to stand against and defeat all of its enemies."

"Reservists require a stronger army to meet their goals – both in the military and as citizens. As I have said in the past and say now, the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews is not a matter of wishful thinking but a necessity."

Similaarly, MK Moshe Tur-Paz (Yesh Atid), also a member of the committee, added, “Zamir quickly discovered what every reservist who has experienced a year and a half of combat and hundreds of days in the reserves already knows: The reservists are collapsing."

"Prolonged attacks on those who voice this distress will not make it disappear. Without the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews, there cannot be a strong Israel in the long run. Our security is in immediate danger,” he underscored.

Additionally, MK Sharon Nir (Yisrael Beytenu), who also serves in the cabinet, stressed that the Israeli government must mandate the enlistment of everyone into the military at the age of 18 – "no tricks, quotas, or targets."

"The draft-dodging law must be immediately removed from the agenda!” she asserted.