Israel calls up reservists as Gaza, Lebanon strain military capabilities

The Israeli army is calling up 15,000 extra soldiers for service as the Gaza war and cross-border clashes with Lebanon's Hezbollah have taken a heavy toll on Israel's military capabilities.

Soldiers who were previously told to stand down have now been called up for reserve duty, according to reports in Israeli media on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Israeli military and defence ministry said the move followed an internal review into standing and reservist numbers and was "part of a process planned by the [Israeli forces] to increase the reserve of service members".

Israel's multipronged Gaza offensive has strained the country's military and defence capabilities with no sign of the war slowing down despite international calls for a ceasefire.

Since the outbreak of war in October, Israel has made various amendments to its military conscription regulations, including extending compulsory service time and controversially calling up previously exempt men.

Israel has lost 693 soldiers since 7 October, with 330 of those killed in Gaza clashes. According to figures from the Defence Ministry Rehabilitation Department, 10,056 soldiers have been wounded.

The high numbers of casualties have left the military with a “significant gap” and fears of a prolonged conflict in Gaza prompted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to order the military to call back 15,000 reservists in three stages.

Military service is mandatory in Israel for men and women over 18 with some exceptions including for Arab and Druze citizens.

Members of the ultra-Orthodox Haredi community were exempt from service, but this was controversially overturned by the High Court in June, despite bitter objections from religious parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

Many on Israel’s right and the ultra-Orthodox community believe that serving in the army clashes with their religious mission to study the Torah, the Jewish holy book.

Exemptions for the Haredi community were implemented during the early days of the state of Israel when the population was smaller. It allowed some 400 Haredi students to devote themselves entirely to religious study.

But over the years the population has grown, with 13,000 Haredim now at the age of conscription. The strain of the war in Gaza prompted calls for their inclusion, despite fierce anger from the reclusive community.

Some 1,200 men were sent draft notices for military service this month, according to Israeli media reports.

Hundreds of men refused to partake and instead staged protests outside an army base which triggered large clashes with police earlier this month.

The country has been engaged in one of its longest wars in decades with troops still waging a fierce battle against Palestinian militants in Gaza ten months after the 7 October attack.

It is also engaged in fighting with Lebanese militia group Hezbollah over its northern border which has seen military infrastructure and troops targeted by the Iran-aligned group.

The war on Gaza has seen the military conduct large-scale air and ground operations in the enclave, killing at least 40,223 people and wounding a further 92,981.

Its operations have destroyed much of the enclave's infrastructure and caused a humanitarian catastrophe for its civilian population.