Report: IDF raising concerns over deepening crisis in reserves force

The IDF has raised concerns over a deepening crisis within the reserves force as the military prepares to escalate operations in the Gaza Strip, Haaretz reports.

Tens of thousands of reservists are expected to be called up, but officials report a decline in motivation, with an increasing number indicating they will not report for duty, due to a combination of weariness, a lack of clarity on the goal of continued fighting and anger at government policies.

A senior reservist commander tells Haaretz that brigade and battalion leaders are handling numerous cases of reservists declaring their refusal to report, adding that the primary reason cited is a perception that the government has not done enough to free the hostages, followed closely by opposition to plans for a law exempting ultra-Orthodox from conscription and concerns over the government’s judicial overhaul.

According to a reserves officer who spoke to Haaretz, both fighters and commanders are experiencing significant exhaustion after completing hundreds of reserve days over the past year. He noted that many reservists are struggling to commit to additional deployments, not only due to political concerns but also because of sheer fatigue.

Among those refusing to serve is combat navigator Alon Gur, who publicly announced his resignation from the Air Force last week after 16 years of service. “The line was crossed,” he wrote online, accusing the government of prioritizing politics over human lives. Gur’s subsequent removal from duty has since prompted other reservists to follow suit, raising concerns within the military leadership.

According to the IDF, the rate of reservists showing up for duty, as of February, was 85 percent. In contrast, the IDF reported at the start of the war that more than 100% of reservists called up for duty had shown up, marking the largest-ever call-up of reservists in Israel’s history.

The military has said that the reserve army is operating at the relevant level of competency and is fulfilling its missions.