2. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are
too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands,
lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Judges 7 King James Version (KJV)
Operation Iron Swords - Personnel
The outbreak of the war, which began on October 7, following unprecedented attacks launched by Hamas on Israel, which led to the killing of about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to official data. Israel responded to the attacks by declaring war and launching intensive bombing and ground operations that resulted in the deaths of more than 41,000 people, most of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.
In light of the ongoing military campaign launched by the Israeli army against Hamas in the Gaza Strip for about a year, a "feeling of resentment" is growing among many Israelis who have been called up to the reserve forces, especially with the length of their service, according to a report by the American " Bloomberg " agency 13 September 2024. Hundreds of thousands of men have been forced to abandon family commitments, stop their jobs and postpone their studies to take part in the military campaign in Gaza, or to fend off air attacks launched by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah across the border into northern Israel.
With about 170,000 active-duty personnel, out of a population of 10 million, Israel's military is large by world standards, but still too small to deal with threats facing the country from several fronts at the same time, according to the US agency. It seems that the slogan of the army "small and smart" that Israel used to be proud of, with a preference for high technological progress over manpower, is "no longer appropriate" in the current situation.
The burdens borne by these soldiers "reveal Israel's struggle to strengthen the ranks of the armed forces, while preventing a shortage of workers from harming the economy, all while resentment is growing due to the Haredi community's resistance to responding to the call for national service." At the same time, "Israeli popular support for the war remains strong," noting that "the need for military reinforcements shows no sign of ending."
Employers and reservists themselves are feeling the strain, as companies are forced to operate with reduced workforces. The call-up of hundreds of thousands of men last year helped push economic growth down to 2 percent, roughly half the rate the Finance Ministry had forecast before the war, with a further slowdown expected to reach 1.1 percent in 2024.
Since mass recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews does not seem like an easy solution, the Israeli army has taken “short-term” steps to increase its numbers of fighters. These solutions included proposing a draft law to extend military service for several months, as well as changing the regulations to raise the maximum age for call-up.
Hundreds of former combat officers and soldiers, who were already over the age limit for service, had volunteered to take part in the fighting. Although they may not be in as good shape as they were in their 20s, they are still fit enough to carry out military tasks, they fought successfully" for several months in Gaza.
On September 15, 2024 Haaretz newspaper revealed that the Israeli government worked to recruit African asylum seekers into the army during its operations in the Gaza Strip, with the promise of obtaining the right to reside in Israel and obtaining a “permanent legal settlement” for their status, according to personal accounts obtained by the newspaper. Haaretz said that security officials used the "right of residence" to motivate asylum seekers who are finding it difficult to regularize their status. The Israeli newspaper refers to "unofficial" statements by defense officials who said that the recruitment project "is being implemented in an organized manner, under the guidance of legal advisors" in the military establishment.
However, no asylum seeker who contributed to the war was given any official status. According to Haaretz figures, there are currently about 30,000 African asylum seekers living in Israel, most of them young people. About 3,500 of them are Sudanese who received temporary status by court order because the state has not yet processed their applications and has not yet decided on them.
The Times of Israel published a report last October, following the Hamas attack on southern Israel, in which it noted the efforts of African asylum seekers to provide assistance to Israeli communities affected by the attack. The newspaper indicated at the time that there were 25,000 asylum seekers from Africa, including about 18,000 people from Eritrea, and more than 3,000 people from Sudan, including Darfur. The report also noted, citing the Population and Immigration Authority of the Ministry of the Interior, that about 4,700 asylum seekers were granted temporary residence. Most of them were granted by a Supreme Court decision in 2021.
Haaretz reports in its new report that three asylum seekers were killed in a Hamas attack on October 7. Following this, many asylum seekers volunteered to work in civilian sectors, and some were willing to be conscripted into the army. “Defense officials realized that they could benefit from the asylum seekers’ assistance and exploit their desire to obtain permanent status in Israel as an incentive,” the newspaper said.
Haaretz has learned that some people have objected to these recruitment operations, saying that they involve exploiting the needs of people who fled their countries due to wars. However, according to the newspaper's sources, these critical voices have been silenced. Sources who spoke to Haaretz revealed that while there were some inquiries about settling the status of asylum seekers who participated in the fighting, none of them were granted legal status.
Haaretz also learned that the Interior Ministry has examined the possibility of recruiting children of asylum seekers "who were educated in Israeli schools." In the past, the government has allowed children of foreign workers to serve in the Israeli military in exchange for granting legal status to their immediate family members. In response, the army's relevant body told Haaretz that "all its actions are carried out legally."
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