Zionist army's manpower crisis worsens ahead of Gaza occupation: Report

Around a dozen officers and troops told The New York Times on Thursday that there were “depleted and exhausted units” within the Israeli military.

“It’s not clear how many of them will return to the fight,” the sources said.

 They estimated that 40 to 50 percent of their comrades were “not turning up for duty.”

One soldier said that his 100-man company had decreased to 60 troops. Another said only half his team showed up during the reservist call-up late last year.

Others said that there are soldiers who have dropped out of the military due to the belief that the “war is no longer just.”

A handful of soldiers have faced penalties for failing to report for duty, while some others have served short prison sentences.

Israeli sources confirmed that Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir’s opposition to the occupation plans is in part due to the soldiers’ fitness to serve.

“The shortfall will make completing the offensive more difficult,” the sources noted.

 Zamir has also expressed concern over the danger the new offensive poses to Israeli captives and the strain it will place on the army.

Omer Dank, an Israeli military analyst and air force reservist, said, “We keep trying to squeeze out everything we can without real strategic planning. The current model is unsustainable. The army is exhausted.”

Other analysts are cited as saying that reservists have done hundreds of days of service, negatively affecting their home lives, education, and work.

Due to the manpower issue, Zionist regime’s high court last year ordered the conscription of ultra-Orthodox religious students who have for years been exempted from service.

This has caused a crisis in Israel, with ultra-Orthodox parties demanding an exemption law and some even withdrawing from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fractious right-wing coalition.

Zionist regime’s Army Radio reported last week that Israel’s military was considering a plan to recruit young Jews from abroad as it grapples with a severe shortage of soldiers.

The proposal would target major Jewish communities overseas, particularly in the United States and France, to enlist around 700 recruits annually.

The Zionist regime was also reportedly luring around 30,000 asylum seekers from African countries to the army by offering them permanent residency in the occupied territories.

The shortage has compounded wider problems for Israel’s armed forces, including equipment deficits and a reserve system strained by months of fighting in Gaza.

Many reservists have also reported psychological issues and exhaustion linked to the Israeli aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip.

A recent Israeli military investigation has found a rise in suicides among its soldiers, with the majority of the cases being directly linked to the profound psychological trauma and exposure to extreme conditions experienced during the war in Gaza.

The findings indicated that most suicides stemmed from prolonged exposure to combat, traumatic battlefield experiences, and the psychological toll of losing comrades.

With Zionist regime’s war in Gaza entering its 22nd month, soldiers increasingly report experiences of war trauma, family issues, and psychological distress.