Israeli Military Deleted Forces and Shortages Create Crisis
A Saturday report by Yedioth Aharonot indicates that Israel's military is facing a serious personnel issue, which is driving initiatives to increase retirement ages and extend service terms. Plans to raise required service from 32 months to 36 months and stretch the reserve age restriction from 40 to 45 years were exposed in the newspaper. Legal and logistical obstacles have delayed these developments, though, and the Israeli army is left in what the article called a "dangerous situation" from inadequate troops.
The tiredness of reserve troops and the long-standing difficulties confronting regular units aggravate the shortfall. According to reports, the military's capacity to maintain operations is further taxed by a shortfall of 7,500 troops right now. Defense Minister Israel Katz has responded by suggesting the drafting of 7,000 ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews, a community often free from military duty and averse to duties on battlefield. But this action has drawn opposition in Haredi groups, underscoring the challenges in reaching recruiting targets.
With an additional 5,346 injured, 4,605 of which were injured in the Gaza conflict, the Israeli military has recorded 749 deaths since October 2023, including 370 troops dead during ground operations in Gaza. The military is overly stretched with the continuous losses and lack of reinforcements. Israeli Channel 12 underlined the seriousness of the matter since the military try to restructure and stay operational among continuing confrontations in Gaza and Lebanon.
