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While Gaza ceasefire talks fail once more to reach a breakthrough in Cairo, the Israeli army is facing a new challenge to its plans to continue fighting: a revolt among reservists.
Reports suggest more than 100,000 Israelis have stopped showing up for reserve duty (compulsory up to the age of 40), with attendance levels dropping as low as 50-60 per cent in recent weeks.
Thousands of reservists from the army, navy, air force and the Mossad have also signed letters calling for the immediate return of hostages held in Gaza, even if it means an end to the war.
Although the signatories stopped short of calling explicitly to stop serving, the army has responded by discharging those still on active duty, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has accused them of “encouraging” Israel’s enemies.
The army’s chief of staff warned that the revolt could limit the army’s ability to expand its ground operation as Israel looks to seize more territory across Gaza.
For now, the government is hesitant to draw attention to the scale of the crisis, and the exact attendance numbers involved haven’t been revealed.
The letters criticise the government for waging a war that “serves political and personal interests and not security interests”, referring to a widely-held criticism of Netanyahu as using the war to remain in power and maintain the support of his coalition.
Ideological objection to the war is a minority position; most of those not showing up for duty are motivated by burnout, loss of faith in Israel’s stated war aims, and economic considerations.
Recent polls show almost 70 per cent of Israelis support ending the war in order to bring the hostages home.
In the summer of 2023, more than 1,000 army reservists protested the government's planned legislation to crush the power of the judiciary by refusing to show up for reserve duty. However, after Hamas attacked southern Israel in October that year, nearly 300,000 reservists answered the call to duty – the largest mobilisation in Israel's history.
In Gaza, Palestinians continue to call for an end to a war that has now killed almost 51,000 people. On Monday, a senior Hamas official said the group would free hostages held in the Strip so long as Israel commits to a “serious prisoner swap”, the resumption of humanitarian aid entry, and guarantees to end the war and withdraw troops from the Strip.
Photo credit: John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images
