“Israel” Suffers Manpower Shortage in Army, To Recruit Jews from US and France

By Staff, Agencies

Grappling with a severe shortage of soldiers, “Israeli” army is considering a plan to recruit young Jews from abroad amid its ongoing genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to “Israel’s” Army Radio, the proposal would target major Jewish communities overseas, particularly in the United States and France, with the aim of enlisting around 700 recruits annually.

The shortage has compounded wider problems for “Israel’s” armed forces, including equipment deficits and a reserve system strained by months of fighting in Gaza.

Many reservists have also reported psychological issues and exhaustion linked to the genocidal war.

The move comes as the military struggles with a shortfall of 10,000 to 12,000 troops, driven largely by the refusal of ultra-Orthodox Jews, or “Haredim”, to serve.

For decades, “Haredi” men who account for about 13 percent of “Israel’s” population of 10 million have been exempt from “Israel’s” mandatory military service to pursue full-time religious studies.

However, a 2023 ruling by “Israel’s” high court ended these broad exemptions, prompting the military to begin enforcing draft orders amid growing troop shortages.

Haredi leaders have accused the “Israeli” entity of violating their religious beliefs and threatening their way of life.

In July, the “Israeli” daily Maariv said senior commanders had, for the first time, admitted to the scale of the depletion, estimating a gap of about 7,500 soldiers. Battalion leaders cited crushing workloads, with some signaling plans for early retirement.

The “Israeli” entity was also reportedly luring around 30,000 asylum seekers from African countries to the army by offering them permanent residency in the occupied territories.

Months into “Israel’s” genocidal war on Gaza, the military is reportedly facing a critical manpower problem, and runs short of thousands of forces.

An “Israeli” military investigation has found a rise in suicides among its soldiers, with the majority of the cases being directly linked to the profound psychological trauma and exposure to extreme conditions experienced during the genocidal war in Gaza.

The findings indicated that most suicides stemmed from prolonged exposure to combat, traumatic battlefield experiences, and the psychological toll of losing comrades.

Despite attempts by the “Israeli” army to censor reports of suicides and the surrounding circumstances, evidence continues to emerge of a sharp increase in such cases. Media outlets have suggested that the actual number of suicides may be even higher than reported.

The army has reportedly been burying some of these soldiers without military funerals or public announcements, in a desperate effort to conceal the extent of the crisis.

In recent months, a growing manpower shortage has prompted the “Israeli” army to recall soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD].

The reports have highlighted a deeper mental health crisis within the “Israeli” army, revealing that thousands of soldiers have sought assistance from military mental health clinics or field psychologists.