"The reservists' burnout is becoming extreme and dangerous - and not just in combat [units]. Officers openly talk about personal costs and red lines:
1. The percentages of [soldiers not reporting in] reach 20%-40%, including in units inside Gaza
2. Sergeant Major G' (44), a senior engineer in the defense industry and a tank technician in the reserves, was begged to come to the Gaza Envelope this month: 'Do a week at a time on the army's bill - just come'
3. The commander of Squadron 200 Lieutenant Colonel Y' tells me: 'Most of my operators are reservists. Their partners got fired, and only Order 8 [emergency callup order for reservists] protects them from being fired themselves. It'll also be canceled soon. They're a resource that's being taken for granted, when they're the minority who carry the burden.'
4. 12th Brigade Commander, Colonel Ivri Elbaz, who is currently fighting in Rafah: "Tongue's out? There is no tongue anymore. I've put down red lines and I warn that in every decision one must take this cornerstone into account: the human being'
5. The desperation is so great among some soldiers that they've stopped asking for financial aid after the Via Dolorosa that they're being put through and the grants they were promised but didn't arrive
6. A commander in a reserve division that'll soon return to the Gaza Strip warns: 'We're asking 50 and 60 year olds to come voluntarily, but don't forget: 30 and 25 year olds also volunteer, each of them could easily get a mental health exemption after 4 months of fighting in Gaza at the start. Many have the feeling that 'we've already contributed big time'
7. Another one of the dwindling manpower's constraints: in unit 9900, 20 year old regular satellite operators became aerial photography interpreters in [various] divisions instead of reservists and the internet is filled with 'wanted' ads to fill the gap"