Why it matters:
The military crisis indicates the fatigue among the Israeli troops, the decrease in the reserve forces, and their escape from military service.
The big picture:
Over 100,000 Israeli reservists have declined to return to service, reducing attendance to about 50–60 percent. The decline, attributed to fatigue and reliance on reservists, has created significant challenges for the army, forcing some units to recruit volunteers via social media.
Zoom in:
- Over 6,000 Israeli soldiers have sustained physical injuries in their war on Gaza.
- Some have been severely injured, and some others have been moderately injured.
- 22,000 hospital visits have taken place in Israeli hospitals since the war started.
State of the play:
The Israeli army has informed military school students that they are prohibited from joining weekly protests in Tel Aviv demanding the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Zoom out:
- Every Saturday evening, the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza gather in "Hostages Square", Tel Aviv, to urge Netanyahu's cabinet to secure their return.
- Families of captives fear that Israeli strikes on Gaza risk their children's lives and thus urging for a release deal.
The demonstrations and disobedience come as the Israeli regime has massacred over 50,000 Palestinian people, most of them children and women, for something that it calls the release of the captives and destroying the Palestinian resistance Hamas.
- Tel Aviv estimates 59 Israeli captives in Gaza, with 24 still alive, while over 9,500 Palestinians face harsh conditions in Israeli prisons.
Between the lines:
Israel has drawn significant criticism for its troops' killing of 15 unarmed aid workers on March 23, followed by the decision to inter their bodies in a mass grave.
Recently, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have admitted its troops were behind the deadly shelling of a UN guest house in Gaza last month, after previously denying responsibility.
- On March 19, an attack on the UNOPS building in Deir al Balah claimed the life of a Bulgarian UN staff member and left six other international workers injured.
Go deeper:
Fractured Foundations: A Narrative About Israel's Political, Military Turmoil
seyed mohammad kazemi
