Israeli forces to face serious risks if Gaza war resumes: Haaretz
2 Min Read
Last Friday, Israeli media reported that public confidence in the IOF had been significantly damaged following the release of investigations into its failures on October 7, 2023.
-
Israeli soldiers check a Palestinian man's ID at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on his way to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Al-Quds for the first Friday Prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 7, 2025 (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Tuesday that the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) would be in real danger if the war in Gaza resumes.
The report attributes this to growing refusals among reserve soldiers to serve, as well as the IOF’s failure to recruit Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews).
According to IOF estimates, the ongoing aggression in Gaza and the increased militarization of occupied Palestinian territories have placed a heavy strain on its regular forces. Haaretz noted that the refusal of reservists to report for duty has become a critical issue, with only half of those called up actually enlisting. Meanwhile, the occupation forces are attempting to downplay the severity of the situation.
Last Friday, Israeli media reported that public confidence in the IOF had been significantly damaged following the release of investigations into its failures on October 7, 2023.
At the same time, the Shin Bet admitted it had failed to assess Hamas' capabilities before the resistance operation on October 7.
A Shin Bet investigation exposed major intelligence failures, particularly in how intelligence was handled and how oversight mechanisms functioned on the night of the operation.
Read more: 'Israel' violates Gaza ceasefire, kills three people near Bureij Camp
On February 27, the IOF released the findings of its own investigations, acknowledging that Hamas had systematically outmaneuvered it. The military had operated under the false assumption that Hamas had been effectively "deterred."
The IOF admitted that it had been overconfident and had misjudged Hamas’s military capabilities.
It also conceded that "the price we paid on October 7, 2023, was unbearable in terms of the number of dead and wounded."
