By Abderaouf Arnaout and Ikram Kouachi
JERUSALEM (AA) - There has been a significant decline in the willingness of Israeli reserve soldiers to return to service and participate in the ongoing military offensive in Gaza, according to a new report.
“Following Israel's decision to violate the cease-fire and hostage deal, and resume combat, the army has noticed a drop in reservists' motivation,” the Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday.
"In the past two weeks, many reservists have told their commanders that they will not report for duty if they are called up again."
The reasons behind the reluctance stem from “the government's decision to oust Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee, as well as its intention to oust the attorney general. The reservists also mentioned fear over the government ignoring the rulings of the High Court of Justice.”
Many reserve soldiers have cited “health, financial or family reasons for not reporting for duty, when in fact their decision is based on moral or political motives.”
“I met with my squadron commander and informed him that I've had it,” said Alon Gur, a combat navigator in the Israeli army for 16 years.
"The line was crossed when the country again knowingly abandoned its citizens in broad daylight, at the point where cold cynical political considerations outweigh any other consideration,” he added.
As a result of his statement, Gur was dismissed from military service,.
The report emphasized warnings from senior reserve commanders about the declining rate of enlistment, which is said to have dropped by 50%.
One senior reserve commander said commanders of brigades and battalions are dealing with numerous cases where reserve soldiers have refused to report for duty.
“The reason is the violation of the hostage deal,” he said, adding that “the second reason which is often mentioned is the law to exempt the ultra-Orthodox from service and the push for the judicial coup.”
Under Israeli law, soldiers who refuse to respond to a call-up for military service can face imprisonment, fines, or dismissal from the army. However, the report said the Israeli military recognizes the difficulty of dismissing hundreds of reserve soldiers after 18 months of war.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing 855 people, injuring nearly 1,900 others and shattering the January ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.