Israeli Military Deploys Undertrained Soldiers

(MENAFN) The Israeli military has sent insufficiently trained soldiers from its prestigious Golani and Givati brigades to the Gaza Strip due to a severe shortage of personnel, as reported by an Israeli public broadcaster on Sunday.

These soldiers have been deployed to the frontlines since December of last year.

This decision highlights the increasing pressure on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which has acknowledged facing a significant manpower deficit.

The situation reflects a growing challenge for the military as it struggles to maintain its fighting strength amidst ongoing conflicts.

The previous week, a newspaper reported that Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir informed Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet that the IDF’s capacity to meet the political leadership's objectives in Gaza could be compromised due to the diminishing number of soldiers available.

Over recent months, the army has grappled with a shortage of regular troops, worsened by exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) from conscription.

In addition, there has been a high dropout rate of 30 percent to 40 percent among reservists, with many citing exhaustion from the prolonged conflict, based on local media outlets.

The situation is expected to worsen as an increasing number of petitions, signed by both active and former soldiers, demand the release of hostages, even if this requires halting the ongoing war in Gaza.

More than 140,000 Israelis have added their names to petitions calling for a ceasefire in exchange for hostages.

Among these, 21 petitions have garnered over 10,000 signatures each from active and former reservists.

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