Israeli army warns of mass departures as resignation requests rise

The Israeli army has warned of a possible “mass departure” after a sharp rise in resignation requests from officers and soldiers, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth said the army is facing a “real manpower crisis that has reached a boiling point”, amid growing concern within the military leadership.

The report comes as the Israeli military establishment is experiencing turmoil over senior appointments and disputes between Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Defence Minister Israel Katz, who has frozen several senior military appointments approved by Zamir without his consultation.

Last month, Zamir dismissed several senior commanders and formally reprimanded others over failures to prevent the 7 October attack. Those affected included former head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva, former Southern Command chief Yaron Finkelman, and former head of the Operations Directorate Udi Basiyuk.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas fighters attacked Israeli military bases and settlements near the Gaza Strip, killing and capturing hundreds of Israelis. Hamas said at the time that the attack was a response to what it described as daily Israeli violations against Palestinians and their holy sites, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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