Israel occupation army needs 10,000 soldiers ‘immediately’

The Israel occupation army needs 10,000 more soldiers immediately amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday. Gallant made his comment during a session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

Last week, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that ultra-Orthodox Jews must be subject to the military draft, after decades of being exempt from military service. According to Gallant, the army can recruit 4,800 soldiers from the ultra-Orthodox community.

Israel has flouted a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire with its ongoing military offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza since October last year. The occupation state has faced international condemnation for the brutality of its assault, which has killed at least 37,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 87,000 others. Large parts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, the latest ruling of which ordered the apartheid state to halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah immediately. Over a million Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah, but that did not stop Israel from invading the city on 6 May. Spain has applied to intervene in support of the ICJ case against Israel.

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