5/31/2024
'Haunted by failure': Israel sees marked decline in soldiers' willingness to serve
A new survey published by Ynet shows army officers are facing exhaustion from the war, which has failed to achieve its goals
A survey conducted by the Israeli army’s Manpower Directorate and published by Ynet on 31 May shows a “worrying” decline in the willingness of officers to remain enlisted in Israel’s military.
According to the survey, only 42 percent responded positively when asked if they wished to continue serving in the Israeli army, compared to 49 percent in August of last year.
The decline, which comes after almost eight months of a war in Gaza which has failed to achieve its goals, “stunned” senior officials in the army, Ynet said.
“The decline in motivation is supported by another factor noted by the Manpower Directorate: the increase in the number of officers contacting the IDF retirement department during the war,” the Hebrew outlet added.
In the same survey, officers were asked if they were satisfied with their salaries. Only 30 percent responded positively, as opposed to the 60 percent of the private sector who responded positively to the same question – signifying “anger and frustration among the service members.”
The survey confirms that officers are exhausted from the war and frustrated with its effects on their family lives. Both men and women in the army complain that they do not see their families often and that compensation is inadequate, considering the long hours and the stress they face.
It also notes that the overarching factor that contributes to their lack of willingness to continue serving is the “sense of failure” they feel.
“The sense of failure haunts the officers, and they don’t want to serve in a failed organization,” Ynet wrote.
The survey comes the same month that Haaretz reported increased suicidal tendencies among the army’s rank. It said that ten Israeli soldiers have committed suicide since 7 October.
Numerous officials have expressed devastation over the failure to prevent Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October. Last month, the head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, Aharon Haliva, resigned from his position as a result of this failure.
Frustration has continued to build since then, as nearly eight months have passed since the start of the war and the Israeli military is no closer to achieving its stated goals of eradicating Hamas and retrieving its prisoners who are being held by the resistance in the Gaza Strip.