IDF ombudswoman report finds rise in reservists clamoring to be allowed to fight
Between October and end of year, Defense Ministry official received 1,316 reports, many by civilians seeking to return to active reserve duty or move into combat roles
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israel’s military ombudswoman on Monday published an annual report into complaints of alleged abuse, negligence, and incompetence by commanders toward their subordinates, with this year showing a large rise in claims by reservists as well as highlighting new issues that have arisen amid the ongoing war, including many clamoring to be allowed to fight.
The report by Brig. Gen. (res.) Rachel Tevet-Wiesel, known formally as the chief complaints officer, who works out of the Defense Ministry, included thousands of complaints from conscripts, career soldiers, and reservists. The number of complaints has remained relatively stable in recent years.
The 189-page report was presented to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as well as senior officers in the IDF.
Over the course of 2023, the ombudswoman’s office received 5,749 complaints from Israeli troops or their parents, a five percent decrease from the previous year. Tevet-Wiesel’s office reviewed each of the cases, finding that the majority of them — 54% — were legitimate, with the rest dismissed as false or trivial.
Reservists made up 712 of the complaints, an increase of 30% over last year, largely due to the ongoing war as nearly 300,000 reserve soldiers were called up for duty. Between October 7 and the end of 2023, the ombudswoman’s office saw a massive increase of 265% in complaints by reservists compared to the same period last year.
The ombudswoman found that most of the 1,316 complaints during the first three months of the war (October-December) were civilians seeking to return to reserve duty after receiving exemptions and reservists asking to be moved to a combat unit, as well as complaints about compensation, R&R, and being dismissed from roles.
In the first month of the war, reservists’ complaints also focused on lack of equipment, issues with their living conditions, and assistance for the partners of soldiers who were killed, the ombudswoman’s office found.
The war broke out on October 7, after Hamas terrorists stormed across the border killing some 1,200 people and taking another 253 hostage.
The document is prepared each year, based on written complaints from soldiers, interviews and reviews of internal military reports, in order to identify both worrying and positive trends within the IDF.
As they do every year, the complaints also deal with cases of physical and verbal abuse, soldiers failing to receive proper medical care, bureaucratic inefficiencies and poor conditions.
Responding to the report, the military thanked the ombudswoman and said it would help the IDF improve on the issues it highlights.
The Times of Israel Community.