Israeli army facing ‘moral deterioration,’ reserve officer says

The Israeli army is facing a moral deterioration playing out among soldiers amid a high state of fear, a reserve officer said, as Israel continued its war in the Gaza Strip.

“I don't want to write about the hardship of repeated reserve duty or about the damage it does to one's body and soul, even though these important topics should be discussed more often,” the officer, who did not give his name, said in a letter published by Haaretz newspaper.

“Rather, I want to discuss values, a problem I'm regrettably contending with as I witness a moral deterioration playing out within the army. Morality is the essence of our human nature and of our link to the divine.”

The officer, who identified himself as a commander of a unit doing reserve duty in Gaza, said the army is fighting “an ongoing battle of trench warfare that is never satiated.”

“The objective of our mission is no longer clear, not even defined, leaving us no criteria with which to measure success,” he said.

“Because we are on a defensive mission, there is a high state of alert and fear of an enemy that might catch us by surprise. This mindset leads to many moral dilemmas.”

The Israeli officer said the state of alert since the Oct. 7 events caused the soldiers to shoot any Palestinians who approached them.

“Sometimes the shooting is justified, sometimes less so. In any event, opening fire happens because the individual soldier on the front line feels threatened or insecure,” he said.

“The blazing sun, the fatigue and the futility augment these feelings even when they are baseless. Even if it's easy to judge them harshly while sitting in an air-conditioned office at the headquarters in Tel Aviv, one must recognize that these feelings exist.”

The officer admitted that killing so many unarmed people is taking its toll on the soldiers.​​​​​​​ “It's taking a toll on mine,” he said.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 73,000 people in Gaza and injured over 173,000 others in a deadly war that has left the entire territory in ruins.

“Now, everything is permitted, and we have light fingers – too light – on the trigger,” the Israeli officer said.

“The unrestricted rules of engagement guarantee that no Gazan will reach the border fence, but they're taking an increasing toll on us, on our values and on our mental state.”