Israeli military struggles to retain career soldiers amid Gaza strain, low pay
Two years after the 2023 Hamas attack and the beginning of the Gaza war, a Knesset report reveals that over 600 career soldiers are trying to resign or to retire early.
TEL AVIV — More than 600 career soldiers, including dozens of senior officers, are seeking to quit or take early retirement, Israeli military representatives told lawmakers Wednesday.
Describing the situation as a human resource crisis, Amir Vadmani, chief of staff at the military’s personnel directorate, told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the wave of career soldiers seeking to end their service is creating gaps the military is struggling to fill.
“To close some of the gaps, we are promoting young people with less experience,” Vadmani admitted, noting that the situation is especially acute among senior officers and has forced the military to lower its requirements. “By 2028, we need to appoint 400 lieutenant colonels out of the 500 candidates currently available, and this will further erode by 2028. We conduct surveys and can see the trends; at all levels, we see an increase in burnout,” he added.
Gaza war strains soldiers
