Alwaght- When Israel waged its war on Gaza in October 2023, many observers close to the Israelis thought that Netanyahu will fully seize Gaza control within a month, at most. Now over 20 months have gone and the Israeli army is yet to realize this aim in the Palestinian coastal enclave. Actually, Gaza remains insecure for the Israelis and the armed-to-the-teeth Israeli army is still suffering heavy losses.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported death of 4 Israeli troops in Gaza. Journalists covering Gaza military campaign reported that four of the troops were killed in a blast in Gaza. Investigations revealed that the lost personnel in Khan Younis belonged to Maglan and Yahalom units of the army. The Maglan unit, accompanied by engineering forces from the Yahalom unit, entered the site and were trapped by an explosive device. The death of these soldiers by the explosive device made it clear that the Israeli army is extremely vulnerable to this type of operations by the resistance forces.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing the Israeli army, that the four soldiers were killed in the town of Bani Suhayla, east of Khan Yunis, when a building collapsed after a bomb exploded. The newspaper added that five other soldiers were wounded in the same incident, one of whom is in critical condition. After the operation, Abu Ubaidah, a spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, described it as a "qualitative and precise operation" and promised that the casualties inflicted on Israeli forces in Khan Yunis and Jabalia would continue.
Rising number of Israeli army casualties
Pointing to the growing number of casualties, Haaretz reported that just in the past week, 8 Israeli troops were killed in Gaza Strip.
Also, according to the Israeli army, 862 soldiers have been killed since the start of the war on October 8, 2023, 428 of whom were killed in internal battles in the Gaza Strip. According to this data, 5,921 soldiers have been injured since the start of the war, 2,687 of whom were injured during ground fighting in the Gaza Strip.
A few days ago, Israeli Army Radio revealed details of the death of three of army soldiers in clashes that took place in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, and reported that three soldiers from the Givati unit were killed and several others were injured after being ambushed by the Palestinian resistance.
Challenges of Israeli forces in Gaza
All in all, it should be taken into account that Israeli army in Gaza is facing various challenges, which push the casualties of the occupiers up.
Massive destruction of military equipment: About three months ago, Israeli army reported that many of its tanks were damaged in Gaza and it faces serious ammunition shortage for battle. Hamas and Islamic Jihad reported in various statements about heavy losses inflicted on the Israeli army, including the destruction of tanks. According to the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, since the beginning of the war, the resistance forces have managed to destroy and damage more than 1,108 Israeli military vehicles. The brigades added that these vehicles included 962 tanks, 55 armored personnel carriers, 74 bulldozers, three excavators and 14 military jeeps. According to Azzam Abu al-Adas, an expert on Israeli affairs, armored and military vehicles losses are among the biggest challenges facing the Israeli army in Gaza. The reality is that reversing the shortage of tanks and armored vehicles, in addition to the high financial cost, requires a long time and it is very difficult to replace destroyed equipment in the middle of a war.
Financial costs: According to a report by Marker newspaper, in January, the cost of war on Gaza by end of 2024 reached about 250 billion shekels ($67.57 billion) that include direct security spending, huge non-military spending, and loss of incomes. But that is not all. The need for a substantial increase in the security and military budget, which requires the purchase of planes, helicopters, armored personnel carriers, weapons and the recruitment of large numbers of new personnel, is all part of the cost of the war for the Israelis. According to a report by Channel 12, the army budget reached about 190 billion shekels ($54.4 billion) in 2024, but the amount for the necessary military and logistical purchases and supplies needed to continue the war in Gaza was 220 billion shekels ($63 billion), more than four times the annual average. Sami Peretz, author of a report on the financial costs of the Israeli army for the continuation of the war in Gaza, wrote that if the military budget cost each Israeli an average of 7,000 shekels ($2,000)per year, this cost would now cost an average of 10,000 shekels ($2,864)per person per year, but it is not clear where this money will come from.
Deceased trust in army: One of the most serious issues facing the Israeli military is the decline in trust in its security and military command among Israelis. Yaniv Kubis, in an article published in Haaretz, pointed to this problem and said that “public trust in the army has been lost since October 7.” Israel affairs expert Mamun Abu Amer believes that “public trust in the Israeli army has fallen to 77 percent.” According to a survey by an institute affiliated with the Jewish Agency, 55 percent of the Israelis said they have little or very little trust in the army’s top commanders.
Political interventions: One of the major challenges ahead of the Israeli army is the meddling of the political figures in military appointments. Yaniv Kopovich in a report published by Haaretz said anything related to the army and military forces must win approval of the political officials, something giving rise to a kind of dependence and gives and takes between military and political officials. A clear example of political interference in military appointments is the suspension of the appointment of several generals to sensitive positions in the Israeli army by Netanyahu's minister of defense, which affected the operation in Gaza.
Lack of powerful command: The Israeli army is facing a shortage of effective command. Ofer Shallah, of the Institute for National Security Studies, in an article published on February 2 by Channel 12, noted that the crisis within the army, which was revealed by the war, is evident, and many field commanders have been killed or wounded. The Israeli expert spoke of the mass migration of officers with the rank of captain and above, adding that this issue has not been addressed so far. The reality is that today the Israeli army suffers from a deadly combination of deep fatigue, empty command cadres and, most importantly, weakened discipline and order.
Personnel shortage crisis: Not only the massive casualties but also shortage of military personnel poses a challenge to the Israelis. Actually, it seems that part of the high casualties of them is catalyzed by shortage of forces. This poses a big challenge to the aim of controlling Gaza. In this connection, Israeli army on Saturday officially announced that it is short about 10,000 troops, a majority of which for combat duty in Gaza.
"The army is short about 10,000 soldiers, including about 6,000 for combat units. This is a real operational need, so we are taking all necessary measures," new army spokesman Effie Defrin said answering a question about recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
