Several Israeli soldiers were killed and wounded in Gaza. (Photo: video grab)
Reports from Israel indicate a severe shortage of soldiers in the reserve forces as the war enters its ninth month, prompting the Israeli army to seek volunteers for combat in Gaza.
An Israeli soldier committed suicide after being ordered to return to military service in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Radio reported, according to Al-Jazeera.
Earlier, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that since October 7, ten officers and soldiers have committed suicide, with several of these incidents occurring during battles in the settlements surrounding Gaza.
In mid-March, the Israeli army acknowledged facing its most significant mental health crisis since 1973, stemming from the fighting with Palestinian Resistance groups in the Gaza Strip since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7.
Last month, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that an internal army poll indicated only 42 percent of officers in permanent service wished to continue after the war in Gaza, down from 49 percent in August of the previous year.
Additionally, reports from Israel indicate a severe shortage of soldiers in the reserve forces as the war enters its ninth month, prompting the Israeli army to seek volunteers for combat in Gaza.
The Israeli army has reported 3,763 soldiers wounded since the war began on October 7, with 1,902 injuries occurring since the start of ground battles on October 27.
The official death toll for the Israeli army stands at 646 soldiers and officers since the war began, including 294 killed in ground battles in Gaza.
However, Israeli hospitals and media have suggested that the actual number of casualties is higher than reported.
At least five killed in Israeli attacks as Gaza hospitals appeal for help
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,084 Palestinians have been killed, and 84,494 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, AJA)
Source: Palestine Chronicle
