IOF to establish new reserve division amid severe losses in manpower

The Israeli military is currently working on establishing a new reserve division due to its urgent need for thousands of additional soldiers, Israeli media revealed.

On Monday, the media reported that 16 Israeli soldiers were injured in the battles in the Gaza Strip in 24 hours.

The Israeli Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, informed the government of the military’s need for 15 new battalions, due to the severe manpower shortage the Israeli army is facing, the Israeli Army Radio mentioned.

Benny Gantz, who quit the Israeli War Cabinet last week, stressed that “Israel’s” security requires more soldiers, while the head of the Israeli Labor Party, Yair Golan, called for mandatory military and security service for everyone.

This comes just days after the Israeli Knesset voted in favor of a bill exempting the Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews from conscription.

According to the Israeli Army Radio, reserve units in the Israeli occupation military have embarked on the quest of searching for volunteers to fight through advertisements on WhatsApp as the war enters its ninth month.

The outlet mentioned that the new reserve division will consist of volunteers previously exempted from reserve service.

It indicated that Halevi approved the establishment of the division, expected to be named Division 96,  which will consist of five reserve brigades to be introduced gradually.

Israeli media have repeatedly touched on the numerous difficulties and crises faced by Israeli reserve soldiers, which have led to a decline in their motivation to fight.

Soldiers in reserve units fighting on the Gaza and northern fronts expressed the difficulty of maintaining their strength and focus due to significant attrition in their ranks.

They also complained about the long service periods and extended working hours, in addition to the discrimination between soldiers in bearing burdens.

In addition, the soldiers expressed anger at the Israeli government and the Knesset over the law exempting Haredi Jews from military service.