By Robert Inlakesh

A new piece published in the Israeli Hebrew media shows that things are only getting worse for Israeli soldiers. 

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October of 2023, occasional reports have surfaced which interview Israeli soldiers on their lack of motivation and losses suffered during their ground incursions into Palestinian civilian neighborhoods. 

A new piece published in the Israeli Hebrew media shows that things are only getting worse.

As Israel continues besieging northern Gaza, while expanding its military incursions into southern Lebanon, it faces serious morale, equipment and manpower challenges. While the Israeli army managed to push all the way through to Beirut in three days during its 1982 Lebanon war, it failed to travel further than a few kilometers in what is coming up on a month of fighting. 

Meanwhile in Gaza, the Israeli military has failed to defeat Hamas after an entire year of full-scale war, now resorting to the genocidal General’s Plan that threatens the mass murder of over 300,000 civilians.

In an article, published by the Israeli Hebrew media outlet Ha-Makom on October 15, an exclusive investigative piece, which draws from over 20 interviews with soldiers and their parents, demonstrates that Israel’s Nahal Brigade, 35th Paratrooper Brigade, Givati Brigade, and fighters from the Commando Brigades, are experiencing a lack of motivation and mental fatigue as a result of the poor management of the ground war in Gaza.

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According to the investigative piece, members of the Nahal Brigade are experiencing serious “burnout” in Gaza as they enter the 11th round of fighting. 

It was noted that while the Brigade’s soldiers had started the war with high morale and the willingness to fight, things had gotten so bad that fighters decided to not even show up. In one case, out of a platoon of 30 men, only 6 returned.

In a powerful admission, the article published the following quote on the state of the Nahal Brigade: “The wards are empty, everyone who is not dead or injured is mentally damaged. There are very few left who returned to fight and they are not completely healthy either.”

The mother of one of the Brigade fighters, named Inbal, commented that “they return to the same buildings that they cleared…They have been to the Zeitoun neighborhood three times already. They understand that it is futile and pointless…Because they were a small team (her sons/daughters Unit), they couldn’t go out on missions. They just stayed there and waited for the time to pass.”

These revelations come at a time when Israeli forces again invade areas throughout northern Gaza, with the conclusion being that such missions are the most detrimental to their mental well-being. “The return to the places where they were before, like Jabaliya, Zaytoun and Shuja’iyya, began, it broke the soldiers. These are the same places where they lost their friends. The area was already cleared. It had to be preserved. It frustrated them a lot”, the piece notes.

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In an interview with the mother of a Commando Brigade fighter, she explains that her son told her that “We are like ducks at the (shooting) range, we don’t understand what we’re doing here. The abductees don’t return a second and third time, and you see that it’s endless and soldiers get injured and die on the way.”

What is even more revealing is that the lack of motivation, depression, and fatigue experienced by the Israeli soldiers is causing a rebellion of sorts, where many are refusing service. It is noted that the phenomenon has been largely covered up and that most of those refusing to return to the battlefield are not being jailed, which has helped keep the issue quiet.

An explanation for the current psychological state of many Israeli soldiers was provided by the father of an infantry brigade sniper, who shared that “in the beginning, he was very determined,” adding that “He said: ‘Our job is to return the kidnapped, our job is to take revenge,’ and he went there happily. But over time the motivation wore off. Today the motivation is zero.”

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Reports like these, which provide rare glimpses into the state of the Israeli military have appeared in the Hebrew language media throughout the war. Yet, this Ha-Makom piece shines a light on what appears to be a very worrying trend for the Israeli military, with a shocking lack of motivation amongst its personnel.

Given the sheer lack of manpower to deal with the multi-front war that Israel is now waging across Gaza, the West Bank, and Southern Lebanon, this trend may present massive problems. 

This will especially be the case if the Israeli military continues to try and advance deeper into Lebanese territory, where they will face a considerably higher death toll than in Gaza and for even less reward.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.