“Israeli” Reservist Refuses New Call-up

By Staff, Agencies 

A reserve soldier serving in an armored reconnaissance unit of the “Israeli” occupation forces has said he will refuse to report for a new round of reserve duty after logging more than 350 days of service, citing extreme exhaustion and mounting personal and financial strain.

In remarks published by “Yedioth Ahronoth”, the soldier said members of his team had each completed between 320 and 350 days of reserve service since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, taking part in successive deployments across multiple fronts.

“We participated in all the maneuvers,” he said, explaining that the unit spent five months deployed in the north, followed by a second ground operation in Gaza, including the Rafah area. 

After a brief break, the soldiers were rushed into another deployment in Lebanon, before receiving yet another order to return to Gaza. During the confrontation with Iran, he added, the unit remained on constant alert, carrying full equipment at all times and prepared to redeploy to Lebanon within three hours.

The reservist said the situation had become increasingly unclear since the war began, with growing uncertainty surrounding objectives and future plans. According to the report, prolonged emergency service has taken a heavy toll on reservists’ personal, professional, and family lives, leaving many struggling to return to any sense of normalcy.

The soldier described widespread psychological stress among reservists, alongside financial and career setbacks linked to extended absences from civilian life. Many, he said, no longer feel physically or mentally fit to carry out the same tasks they performed before the war.

Field accounts cited by the report point to an acute manpower shortage affecting both commanders and combat units, a shortage that the “Israeli” occupation forces have acknowledged publicly. Military officials have called for the rapid recruitment of thousands of additional fighters, including students from ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious institutions.

The reservist said he felt abandoned by government officials and politicians “who do not truly understand the challenges facing reserve soldiers,” according to “Yedioth Ahronoth”. 

The report also noted a growing number of cases in which soldiers are refusing further service due to exhaustion and personal hardship, a trend that could further erode operational readiness and intensify pressure on already overstretched units.

In parallel, an “Israeli” reserve soldier from an armored reconnaissance unit has publicly announced his decision not to report for an upcoming call-up in February, citing extreme burnout after nearly a full year of cumulative combat service since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, according to “Israeli” “Ynet.”

The reservist, who said he has completed between 320 and 350 days of reserve duty since October 2023, with a reconnaissance company under an armored brigade of the 252nd Sinai Division, described a unit pushed beyond its limits by repeated deployments across multiple fronts, alongside mounting personal, financial, and psychological pressures.

“We have battles to fight at home,” he said, explaining his refusal.

“There are guys on the team who were fired from their jobs, others whose families are barely staying afloat, or who have been dragging out their studies for a very long time,” the reservist said.

The case reflects a broader crisis within the “Israeli” reserve system after more than two years of aggression on multiple fronts. Numerous reservists have reported profound exhaustion, alongside difficulties resuming professional careers, sustaining family life, and maintaining mental fitness for combat roles they previously carried out.