Israel’s war-weary reservists look for an end to fighting

Israel’s war on several nations has not only burdened its enemy. It has not only claimed the lives of thousands of people in Gaza and Lebanon. It continues to extract value from its own people.

There is a feeling in Israel that they are tired of war. The recent ceasefire deal with Lebanon will come as a relief to many. At least for Noam Glukhovsky – an IDF ranger, who has spent the last year serving on the front line as a medic.

We spoke to Noam, 33, in Tel Aviv to cancel the announcement. “We cannot continue this war for a long time. We don’t have the staff to continue without a clear date and purpose,” he said.

As an IDF reservist Noam usually expects to serve in the military for a few weeks a year. But last year he spent 250 days in uniform. He said that the war took him away from his life. His plans to become a doctor are back after a year.

When we met Noam he was trying to continue his studies, and waiting to see if he would be invited back. His mood was worse.

He said: “I can’t put my life on hold anymore.” Unless there was a major change in the way of war, he said he would not return to his group. He had had enough.

The IDF already admits that limited reserves are currently operating. After the terrorist attack by Hamas on 7 October last year, which killed around 1,200 people, more than 300,000 responded. The number of people exceeded 100%. It is now down to 85%. Noam estimates that in his sector the response rate is very low – with 60% of those invited now working.

Storage and inventory are the mainstays of the IDF. Brigadier General Ariel Heimann – a former defense minister and former defense chief – says Israel is too small a country to have a large, expensive, professional and stable army. Without reservists, he says, the IDF could not 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 become more difficult as the war continues. He compared the IDF to a spring – when it stretches too much it breaks. Right now they say it’s holding up.

But in a sign of pressure, the IDF wants to increase the mandatory service of enlisted men from 32 to 36 months.

The fact that the burden of service is not shared by all, has also increased feelings of resentment. One group has not been drafted into the military for years – thousands of Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jews. They believe that the lives of their young men should be devoted to religious education and not to military service.

The issue has already divided Israel’s coalition government. But, following the intervention of the attorney general, invitations are being sent to 7,000 Haredi Jewish men. They responded angrily. But Brig Gen Heimann, like former defense minister Yoav Gallant, says he has a “duty to serve”.

Not only is commitment required, but also financial.

The Bank of Israel said in May that the cost of Israel’s war 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 already had to move her business from northern Israel to avoid Hezbollah rockets. Two of his seven employees were drafted into the army.

The morning we meet, at her home in Tel Aviv, Shelly has received terrible news. He has received a text message from one of his employees whose military service is being extended.

Shelly said: “I can’t explain what it’s like to have an employee go missing for a month.

“I can’t even hire someone else or bridge this gap.”

Shelly’s also had to juggle family life with three young children. Her husband, who is also a conservator, spends a long time away from home.

A ceasefire in Lebanon would ease some of the problems. But there is war in Gaza. Shelly Lotan fears for the future without a clear path from the Israeli government to end the conflict.

He said: “I think the war must be over.”