Israel’s use of untrained troops in Gaza war draws fierce criticism

The Israeli army announced today (Friday) that it has backtracked on its decision to send a new group of soldiers to Gaza, stating that forces who have not completed their training will not be deployed to the region. This decision comes after intense pressure from the soldiers’ families.

On Thursday night, the Hebrew-language network Kan 11 reported that a group of soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade, who are in an advanced stage of training, received a notice that they would soon be deployed to Gaza. However, this news triggered a strong backlash from their families on social media.

According to the newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, one relative said: “I don’t understand what’s changed since last time? Back then, it was decided that untrained soldiers wouldn’t be sent to Gaza. I’m really furious.”

The father of another soldier stated: “This is an irresponsible decision; they haven’t even completed their specialized training.”

This is the second time in the past month that Israel has called on untrained soldiers to participate in the Gaza war. On April 21, Kan 11 reported that due to a shortage of manpower, soldiers from the Golani and Givati brigades, who had only served four months and had not yet completed their full training, were sent to the battlefield.