Israel’s war on many fronts did not just destroy its enemy. Not only did it take the lives of thousands of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. And it continues to extract the price from its people.
There is a growing sense of war weariness in Israel. The agreement to end the war with Lebanon will be a relief to many. At least for Noam Glukhovsky – an IDF reservist, who has spent much of the past year working on the front lines as a medic.
We spoke to Noam, 33, in Tel Aviv before the ceasefire was announced. “We cannot continue doing this war for a long time. We don’t have the strength to continue without a clear date and goal,” he said.
As an IDF reservist Noam can usually expect to do a few weeks of military service a year. But this past year he spent 250 days in uniform. He said the war took him away from the life he knew. His plans to become a doctor have been postponed for a year.
When we met Noam he was trying to continue his studies, but also waiting to see if he would be called back. His spirit was defiant.
“I can’t stop my life anymore,” he said. Unless there is a major change in the way the war will be fought, he said he will not return to his unit. He had had enough.
The IDF already admits that several caches are now being reported to the operation. After the attack by Hamas on October 7 last year, which killed around 1,200 people, more than 300,000 armed forces responded. The result exceeded 100%. Now we are down to 85%. Noam estimates that in his department the response is even lower – about 60% of those called up have already gone to work.
Brig General Ariel Heimann says the IDF’s reliance on reserves will be a major challenge if the war continues. [BBC]
Reserves and conscripts are the backbone of the IDF. Brigadier General Ariel Heimann – also a reserve and former reserve chief – says Israel is too small a country to have a large, expensive, trained, regular army. Without reserves, he says, the IDF cannot fight or survive.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the IDF has 170,000 active personnel, including conscripts, and 465,000 reserves.
Brig Gen Heimann admits that the IDF’s reliance on reserves will be a major challenge if the war continues. He likened the IDF to a spring – if it is stretched too far it will break. At the moment he says it is independent.
But in a sign of difficulty the IDF wants to extend the mandatory service for those recruited from 32 to 36 months.
The fact that the burden of service is not shared by all, has also fueled the feeling of resentment. One group has been exempted from military service for decades – thousands of Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jews. They believe that the lives of their young men should be devoted to religious studies and not military service.
The issue has already divided Israel’s federal government. But, after the attorney general intervened, summonses were sent to 7,000 Haredi men. They responded with angry protests. But Brig Gen Heimann, like sacked former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, says they have “a moral duty to work towards”.
Shelly’s business is struggling to fill the gaps left by military personnel [BBC]
Not only is personal sacrifice required, but economic as well.
The Bank of Israel said in May that Israel’s military spending could reach $70bn (£55bn) by the end of next year, an estimate made before the country invaded Lebanon. Small businesses are among the hardest hit.
Shelly Lotan’s food technology startup is among many struggling to survive. Shelly has had to move her business to northern Israel to avoid Hezbollah rockets. Two of his seven employees were called up for military service.
The morning we meet, at her home in Tel Aviv, Shelly has just received some bad news. He received a text from one of his employees that his military service was extended.
“I just can’t express how important it is for another job to disappear for another month,” said Shelly.
“I can’t even hire someone else or solve this vacancy.”
Shelly also had to juggle family life with three young children. Her husband, who is also a farmer, has had to spend a long time away from home.
A ceasefire in Lebanon may ease some of the pressure. But there is still fighting in Gaza. Shelly Lotan fears a future without a clear strategy from the Israeli government to end the conflict.
He says: “I think the war should be over by now.”
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