Israeli Military Facing Critical Staff Shortage Amid Gaza Conflict
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a Hebrew-language newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, reports a critical manpower shortage within the Israeli army, reaching what it describes as a “boiling point.” The issue has been exacerbated by the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The report anticipates a further wave of resignations from career military personnel, intensifying the existing crisis. The newspaper indicates that the Israeli army’s general staff is currently reviewing over 500 requests from career soldiers seeking to advance their contract termination dates. According to the army, these requests are effectively resignations stemming from inadequate compensation and extensive attrition, particularly during prolonged periods of conflict.
Currently, the Israeli military is rejecting these resignation requests, but it struggles to persuade thousands of officers to remain in permanent service. This situation is reportedly leading to a decline in the overall quality of the Israeli army.
The growing number of resignations is attributed to the lack of approved pension increases. According to an Israeli military commander quoted in the newspaper, this creates long-term damage. For example, top company commanders from the Golani Brigade or Unit 8200, both around 25 years old, are observing the worsening conditions of retirees and opting to leave permanent military service at the age of 26 for higher-paying jobs.
The source added that the Israeli army faces a real threat to the quality of its personnel.
To address the manpower shortage, the Israeli army has proposed extending mandatory military service to three years. This shortage is partly due to the 12,000 soldiers who have been killed or wounded in conflicts, most of whom were members of combat units.
Under current Israeli law, mandatory service is scheduled to be reduced to 30 months in January 2027, which will further exacerbate the shortage of soldiers.
