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Retired Israeli Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brik said the Israeli army is facing “the most serious human resources crisis in its history.”
In his article published in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Brik said that in recent months, thousands of officers and noncommissioned officers have abandoned military service.
He said some have avoided duty by using various excuses, others have refused to renew their service terms, and many have demanded immediate discharge. At the same time, young soldiers have declined to sign permanent service contracts.
Brik warned that the growing gap in qualified personnel has created “a significant shortage of professional staff” within the army.
He said the sharp decline in manpower is negatively affecting the maintenance of military equipment and the functioning of combat systems, adding that if the trend continues, it could “render the army completely ineffective in a short time.”
Brik accused recent chiefs of staff of taking “inappropriate decisions,” including broad personnel cuts and reducing mandatory service to three years for men and two years for women.
He said these policies created large gaps that are impossible to close quickly and pushed highly professional and experienced soldiers to leave, leaving sensitive positions filled by personnel unable to meet the demands of current wartime conditions.
Brik said the military’s manpower division has operated for years without professionalism or accountability, ignoring fundamental issues in personnel planning.
He added that outdated technological systems and fragmented databases have caused “information blindness” inside the army.
He reiterated that the human resources crisis could “completely paralyze” the army’s operations.
According to official figures, 923 Israeli soldiers were killed and 6,399 wounded during Israel’s two-year attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media report that around 20,000 soldiers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Reports also note that strict military censorship and morale concerns have led to accusations that the army is concealing higher casualty numbers.
Since launching its two-year assault on Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, with U.S. support, Israel’s operations have killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and wounded 170,000, mostly women and children.
The attacks caused widespread destruction, and the United Nations estimates the cost of reconstruction at about $70 billion.
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