The newspaper said that the battalion includes those over 40 years old who have already been exempted from combat service, led by former Knesset member Yoaz Handel.

Handel issued a call among former fighters in special units to enlist in his new unit, while the newspaper said the army agreed to the initiative due to the urgent need for manpower in the ranks of the occupation.

The newspaper added that about 600 fighters and commanders who completed their reserve service have been recruited, and it is not unlikely that the battalion will receive operational missions outside the lines, perhaps even in Rafah in the near future.

New Injuries in the Occupation Army

This comes as the occupation army announced the injury of 3 Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

Data announced on the army’s website until Wednesday indicates that the number of injured soldiers has risen to 3,361 since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The number of injured soldiers was 3,358, meaning 3 soldiers were injured in the past 24 hours. The army’s website added, “520 of them were seriously injured, 890 were moderate, and 1,951 were minor.”

According to the website, “1,610 were injured since the start of ground battles in Gaza” on October 27 last year.

Meanwhile, the number of officers and soldiers killed reached 614, including 267 since the outbreak of ground battles, according to army data, which faces local accusations of concealing a much larger toll of its killed and wounded.

Israeli Admission of Difficulty in the Gaza War

The spokesperson for the Israeli occupation army described Gaza as “one of the toughest battlefields in the world,” indicating that the military operation in Rafah “does not guarantee an end to Palestinian attacks.”

This came during statements made by the Israeli military official during a conference organized by the Israeli newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth.”

The military spokesperson said that the main challenge facing the army is “the public’s confidence in Israel,” adding that “what happened on October 7 last year forces us to be more flexible, to know how to accept criticism, and after the failure, we take responsibility.”

He added, “The war is led by the Chief of Staff, who bears responsibility, and we also understand the consequences of this responsibility.”

Regarding the war on Gaza, Hagari said, “We planned for a war that would last about a year, perhaps Gaza is one of the toughest battlefields in the world in terms of fighting, density, and the tunnels dug by Hamas underground.”