Israeli army calls up reserves amid fears of low turnout and falling morale

Testimony from reservists suggests army expects significant dropout due to a combination of exhaustion, trauma and distrust in the government's true aims

Israeli army battle tanks move along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on 27 August 2025 (Jack Guez/AFP)

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Israel was set on Tuesday for its biggest call-up of reservists since the beginning of its war on Gaza as concerns mount over a lack of numbers and dwindling morale within the army.

According to Israeli media, the roughly 60,000-member reserve duty call-up is in aid of the ongoing plan to seize control of Gaza City.

Tens of thousands are expected to report for duty, with some also being deployed to the occupied West Bank and northern Israel.

However, a number of outlets have reported widespread dissatisfaction among reservists, with many requesting not to be included in the new rotation as a combination of exhaustion, trauma and suspicion over the government's true aims has sapped their will.

Haaretz said the military was planning to "obscure" the number of recruits and manipulate the data to downplay absenteeism.

One reservist told Haaretz, however, that there was a widespread sense that the army was not completely behind the war either, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was primarily concerned with his own self-preservation.

"No one can tell me any fairy tales after 280 days of fighting in Gaza. I know Gaza, unfortunately," said the reservist, due to report to Tze'elim base in southern Israel.

"The conquest of Gaza has nothing to do with bringing back the hostages. Every one of us understands that."

'Dying for Netanyahu's ambition'

In a statement, the military said it had in recent days "been carrying out logistical and operational preparations ahead of expanded combat operations and the large-scale mobilisation of reservists".

Reservists had begun responding to draft orders, according to Israeli media, with Channel 12 saying a second wave was expected in November.

Some 589 Israeli soldiers are thought to have been killed since the beginning of the war in October 2023, 456 of them in the ground offensive inside Gaza.

There has also been a notable rise in suicides among Israeli soldiers since the war on Gaza began.

‘No heartbeat’: Gaza’s pregnant and elderly bear brunt of Israel’s starvation

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that military commanders had begun resorting to unorthodox methods to attract reservists.

One message sent by a commander seen on a WhatsApp group for Israeli students read: "I’m looking for combat soldiers, mainly medics and snipers for an operation of 70 days starting on September 11. If there are reservists who are interested please message me privately."

A master sergeant in the 98th commando division who had fought for 400 days since the start of the war told the WSJ he had come to believe that people were "dying for nothing" except Netanyahu's ambition.

A smaller number of reservists have also refused to return over human rights abuses against Palestinians.

One reservist told the WSJ that he stopped showing up after he was present when a commander reported that his forces had shot three Palestinian women accidentally - killing one - and asked for permission to dump the wounded women in an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, a request accepted by a senior commander with "nonchalance".

More than 63,633 Palestinians have been killed and 160,914 others wounded in Israel's genocide in Gaza since October 2023. The respected medical journal The Lancet estimates the figure to be significantly higher.

Among them, hundreds have died from hunger and malnutrition since Israel imposed a total closure of Gaza’s borders on 2 March.

Although the borders were partially reopened for some goods and international aid, most residents remain unable to access food, either due to soaring prices, looting of aid trucks and the dangers of reaching hazardous aid distribution points managed by the controversial Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Neonatal deaths and miscarriages have doubled in Gaza since 2023 as a result of starvation, displacement and the collapse of the health system, Middle East Eye reported, with 2,500 recorded by the health ministry in 2025.

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Israel beginning mass mobilization to take Gaza City – Jerusalem Post

Israel beginning mass mobilization to take Gaza City – Jerusalem Post

Israeli army calls up reserves amid fears of low turnout and falling morale

Israeli army calls up reserves amid fears of low turnout and falling morale

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