An investigation conducted by the Israeli newspaper Calcalist revealed “severe dissatisfaction” prevailing among Israeli army reserve soldiers due to the long period of service, 230 days after the start of the Gaza war.
As part of its investigation, the newspaper met many reserve soldiers participating in the war on Gaza, who complained about the long period of service, working long hours during the day, and discrimination between soldiers in shouldering the burdens.
These soldiers warned that this matter was exhausting for them, pointing out that it also caused psychological, marital, and other problems that prolonged their working lives.
The newspaper said: “While some soldiers remain in reserve service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, others receive more comfortable service and lucrative salaries in civilian jobs.”
Crazy drain
The newspaper quoted an armored reserve officer as saying: “I am now facing a problem returning to work. I have forgotten the people I work with,” pointing out that he has been serving in the army for more than 7 months.
He added: “The matter is getting worse. Many soldiers want to return to their lives… I have friends from other companies (in the army) who fought the war in Gaza, and they decided not to return to combat or to reserve service.”
On the other hand, another reservist currently serving in Gaza, named Noam, warned that the long period of service caused personal and psychological problems for many reservists.
He pointed out that the long period of service prompted some soldiers to flee, describing what is happening to the soldiers as “insane exhaustion.”
Noam revealed that the squad in which he serves is no longer qualified to perform its mission due to the great attrition it has been subjected to, adding: “Some soldiers have problems with their wives, and others have problems at work.”
An unprecedented crack
The newspaper pointed out that the mobilization conducted by the army after October 7 was massive, but the failure to achieve the war’s goals created an unprecedented rift among the Israelis, accompanied by a feeling that the current political leadership is managing the war according to its own interests.
She added: “The long period of service in the army had negative repercussions on the Israeli economy, as the Ministry of Finance estimated the cost of reserve days in the war at about 5.44 billion dollars, but the cost rose after 7 months to 8.17 billion dollars, and the war is still continuing.”
She added: “In an attempt to confront these economic and psychological consequences, the Israeli army intends to transfer some tasks from the reserve forces to the regular forces. It is also reported that the army intends to reduce the use of Order 8 (immediate recruitment of reserve soldiers) in favor of the usual reserve orders.”
The Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, affiliated with Tel Aviv University, estimated that at the beginning of the war, 300,000 reserve soldiers were recruited to participate in the war.
As the war continues, the army faces a severe shortage of human resources, which has led to an escalation in the street and opposition movement calling for the recruitment of religious Jews (Haredim) to participate in bearing the burdens of the war.
