Israeli Army Faces Growing Crisis as Reservists Refuse to Serve Amid Ongoing War

Watan-At a time when Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Security Minister Yisrael Katz are threatening the residents of Gaza and the occupied West Bank with more killing and escalation, Israeli military officers indicate a significant decline in the number of reservists reporting for duty—to the extent that entire companies have disappeared due to their inability to continue in the war or a roughly 30% drop in recruitment in some brigades.

On Thursday, Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior officer in an armored reserve brigade—who may begin a third round of fighting in Gaza within two weeks—saying that despite the renewed fighting, he is struggling to fill the ranks. “There is a significant difficulty in recruiting for the reserves. We feel it in every phone call we make. The situation is not what it was a year ago.”

He added that his brigade is facing a 30% reduction in manpower: “To form a full force, I need 15 officers to conduct operations in a way that allows for natural rotations (rest periods) for everyone. Right now, two weeks before deployment, I barely have five officers, and if I don’t bring in five more, there will be a major problem.

We have entire companies that no longer exist in the formation because they have no company commander or deputy commander. If I can’t bring people in, we will have to operate with fewer numbers. My fear is that those who do show up will work long hours, and after a while, they will say they can’t continue like this and leave as well. This is a serious issue that needs attention.”

Other officers also pointed to the difficulty in recruiting soldiers for upcoming combat rounds, warning that this is an urgent issue that must be addressed seriously. One officer explained, “There are well-known reasons (for the decline in enlistment). One soldier told me that his semester is more important to him now because he has fallen behind in his studies or work. Another officer has a three-month-old baby at home whom he has barely seen, while another recently separated from his wife and is taking care of his children. This affects everyone. There is a decrease in manpower, and after nearly a year and a half of intensive operations, there is a problem in recruiting for the reserves. This system needs more people.”

All the officers who spoke to the newspaper said that reserve enlistment rates of 50–70% have become exceptional, noting that the burden on soldiers is increasing. One officer stated that he is struggling to recruit more soldiers: “My phone calls with reservists usually end very quickly. As soon as they hear it’s me, they say they can’t do it anymore. This forces me to reach out to people who have been exempt from reserve duty for several years. This is essentially drawing from the reserve of the reserves. Everyone has the motivation to contribute, that’s clear, but there is a real difficulty.”

A battalion commander, who participated in two rounds of the war of extermination against Gaza before recently being transferred to the occupied West Bank, pointed to similar challenges. He told the Hebrew newspaper, “There is a real crisis. It is not easy to fight for such a long time. The motivation is high, but we understand people—it’s a very complicated situation. We are seeing a decline in enlistment rates from one round of fighting to the next… We can’t blame them. These are people who have left everything behind and have been fighting for 300 days, sometimes even more.”

The newspaper noted that the pressure on reservists and the decline in attendance rates in brigades and battalions have forced the Israeli military to take exceptional measures to address the crisis, offering “incentives” to reservists. Under this system, a reservist spends one week in military service and then a full week at home with full pay covered by the military.

Some officers believe that these measures “weaken the model of a people’s army, undermine its values, and replace the motivations of those who serve—from a sense of contribution, Zionism, and pride—to financial considerations,” as they put it.

A field unit commander in the reserves stated: “It is good that the state is financially supporting reservists, but this was appropriate for a few months of war. When the war continues into the second year, without us realizing it, most Israeli soldiers become employees receiving a monthly salary. There is also a growing phenomenon where many young people, aged 22 or 23, who have not yet found stable civilian jobs, prefer to serve in the reserves due to financial benefits and grants—simply because it is more profitable.”