Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir issued a stark warning to the country's cabinet this week, stating that unless urgent measures are taken, the Israeli army is on the brink of collapse. According to a report by Israel's Channel 13, Zamir told ministers he was "raising 10 red flags," urging the government to move quickly on long-delayed legislation to alleviate the strain on its "exhausted" military forces.

Zamir stressed to ministers the need for a "conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service," adding that without these measures, "before long, the [Israeli military] will not be ready for its routine missions and the reserve system will not last." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said plans will be made to extend mandatory military service, but this is not the first alarm raised about the military straining under the pressure of repeated operations.

Data indicates that before the war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israel's standing army numbered just 100,000. This was immediately bolstered by calling up 300,000 reservists, who were pulled from their jobs and families to participate in the bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza. On March 1, 2024, following the start of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, another 100,000 reserve soldiers were mobilized, in addition to the 50,000 reservists currently on duty due to the Gaza war.

Central Command chief Major General Avi Bluth also addressed the security cabinet meeting, stating that government policies in the occupied West Bank are placing increasing pressure on the military's already stretched manpower. He told ministers, "This is your policy, but it requires security and a full protection package, because the reality on the ground has completely changed – and that requires manpower."

Resentment is growing among many reservists, with some refusing to report for duty due to issues like job losses, family hardships, and delayed studies. Additionally, there is increasing discontent over the apparent exemptions granted to members of Israel's ultra-religious Haredim community, whose refusal to enlist is often overlooked by politicians. Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid responded on Twitter, saying, "The government must stop the cowardice, immediately halt all budgets to the Haredi draft dodgers, send the military police after the deserters, draft the Haredim without hesitation."

Source: www.aljazeera.com