The Israeli military has begun sending more regular units to Gaza to reduce its reliance on reserve soldiers. Haaretz noted that the number of reserve soldiers signing petitions protesting the ongoing war "is worrying the Israeli military," citing sources who reported that the number of Israelis signing petitions exceeded 100,000 in five days.
The Hebrew newspaper explained that Israeli army commanders believe that "reservist soldiers' lack of confidence in the mission awaiting them could harm operational plans, and that it has become clear to these commanders that it will be difficult to implement combat plans in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank."
Haaretz noted that the number of reserve soldiers signing petitions protesting the continuation of the war "concerns the Israeli army."
According to Anadolu Agency's monitoring, in recent days, at least 6,037 members of military, security, and intelligence institutions have signed 17 petitions stressing the need to return prisoners from Gaza, even at the expense of stopping the war. Additionally, 22,500 people from civilian sectors signed 10 petitions in solidarity with those who assert that Netanyahu is continuing the war of extermination for personal political, rather than security, objectives. This means that the number of signatories to the 27 petitions amounts to at least 28,537 Israelis, according to Anadolu Agency's monitoring as of Tuesday evening.
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, 24 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
According to the newspaper, "The Israeli military has begun to realize that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's decision to suspend air force personnel from reserve duty after they signed a letter of protest had the opposite effect than anticipated."
Military sources say the response of the Chief of Staff and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar "was disproportionate, and that they did not anticipate the crisis that is worsening daily, with more reservists signing similar letters demanding an end to the war and the release of prisoners."
The newspaper continued: "Army sources acknowledge that the decision to dismiss reserve soldiers was made under pressure from the political echelon, albeit indirectly, and they believe the reserve crisis has become much greater than what is being portrayed to the public."
Senior military officials believe that "the serious consequences that could result from this crisis must be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security cabinet as soon as possible," according to the newspaper.
Earlier Tuesday evening, Zamir, while inspecting his army's forces committing genocide in the Shujaiya neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip, addressed the escalating protests among reserve soldiers. "The IDF will continue to operate officially and will not allow disagreements to infiltrate its ranks," Zamir said.
He stressed that reserve soldiers have the right to express their opinions "when they are not in active reserve service (i.e., as civilians on any issue and in a democratic manner," noting that "there are sufficient ways and venues for civil protest." Zamir explained that "attempts to drag the IDF into the fray, including speaking as a group on behalf of a military unit, are unacceptable."
The first to sign the protest petitions, on April 10, were approximately 1,000 reserve and retired Israeli Air Force soldiers, including pilots on active duty, according to Hebrew media reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to characterize the move as a "refusal" to serve in the Israeli army, but the signatories quickly denied this. Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers vowed to expel the reservists who signed the petitions, arguing that they "strengthen enemies in times of war," describing them as "rebellion" and "disobedience."
Israel has mobilized approximately 360,000 reserve soldiers to participate in the war of extermination on Gaza since it was launched on October 7, 2023.
On Tuesday evening, Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on continuing his genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, claiming to be working to recover the captives. In doing so, Netanyahu defied some 29,000 Israelis, who had signed 23 military and solidarity petitions by Tuesday demanding the return of the captives, even if only in exchange for halting the genocide.
On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu inspected Israeli forces carrying out genocide in the northern Gaza Strip, during a visit that was shrouded in extreme secrecy and was only announced after its conclusion. He was accompanied by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Southern Command Commander Yaniv Asor, and division and brigade commanders, according to a statement from his office.
Netanyahu said, "I am here with the defense minister, the army commanders, our regular fighters, and our wonderful reserve soldiers... They are striking the enemy, and Hamas will receive more blows." He continued, "We are determined to release our captives and achieve all our war goals."