Israeli Army Radio: IOF reservists abstaining from fighting in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
17 Jan 2024 23:23
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The reserve soldiers argue that they lack adequate training to be fit for fighting in Gaza.

Israeli invading soldier holds a weapon as smoke billows from explosion in the background, in Gaza City, Nov. 14, 2023 (AP)

The Israeli Occupation's Army Radio confirmed today that several reserve soldiers in the IOF have refused to participate in the fighting inside the Gaza Strip.

The radio noted that the soldiers who refused to participate in the fighting cited serious training deficiencies as a pretext: considering themselves to be unfit to fight in Gaza, and adding that their training was geared toward preparing them to fight in the occupied territories rather than Gaza.

This announcement follows the decision of the IOF to complete the withdrawal of thousands of its soldiers from the Gaza Strip, as part of a major withdrawal of Israeli forces from the northern Gaza Strip, ordered at the political levels as part of an emergency.

As the Israeli political-military establishment readies to withdraw troops from Gaza despite not fulfilling the objectives of the ground operation, state media seems to have started offloading the responsibility on reservists abandoning their duties to justify cutting short the unfulfilled ground invasion.

On January 5th, Israeli media reported that the IOF does not have a plan for the future of the reservists, which has been the cause of growing dissatisfaction among their ranks.

According to Israeli Walla! military commentator, Amir Bohbot said, "Reserve officers are displeased with the fact that, despite their continued reserve service for a period ranging from 80 to 90 days on average, no general plan has been presented to them for the coming year."

Bohbot underlined that no senior Israeli official "has spoken to the reserve officers about their upcoming combat role, and as a result, their families are left in suspense, and so are companies, educational institutions, and so on."