Zamir Warns: The Israeli Army Faces Unprecedented Human Collapse

SadaNews - The Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Eyal Zamir, warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Minister of Defense Israel Katz about a severe shortage in the number of soldiers that is disrupting the Israeli army, according to Channel 12 Hebrew.

The channel reported that Zamir sent a strongly worded message last week to Netanyahu, Katz, and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee in the Knesset, Boaz Bismuth, warning that "the acute shortage of fighters threatens the operational efficiency of the army."

Zamir added that "the security situation over the past two years has created unprecedented challenges and left wide-ranging effects on the manpower systems within the army," calling for the compulsory service for men to be extended to 36 months instead of 32 months.

According to official figures released by the Israeli army, 923 officers and soldiers of the occupation forces have been killed, and 6,419 others have been injured during the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett commented on the report, attacking the government by saying, "The Chief of Staff is trying to warn the government and is raising the flag of danger." Bennett stated that the proposed law exempting religious Jews (Haredim) from military service "impacts the army's efficiency and jeopardizes the security of Israel."

The Haredim constitute about 13% of Israel's population, which numbers around 10 million, and most of them refuse to perform military service on the grounds of dedicating themselves to studying the Torah, asserting that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity.

For decades, the Haredim have managed to avoid military service by obtaining repeated postponements under the pretext of religious study until they reach the current exemption age of 26 years.

Zamir's warning comes while Israel continues its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, which has left - according to data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza - more than 71,000 martyrs and over 171,000 injured, most of them women and children.