Israeli reservists refuse call-up amid Gaza war doubts

China

Israeli reservists refuse call-up amid Gaza war doubts

2025-09-04 18:46 Last Updated At：19:57

A number of reservists in Israel who are soon to be drafted in for the war in Gaza are said to be questioning the government's goals amid the continuation of the conflict which now approaches an unwanted second anniversary.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday night that Israel was entering "the decisive stage" of the war in Gaza, seeking to rally support among reservists and counter reports of a low turnout for the latest call-up.

Israel summoned about 40,000 reservists earlier that morning, the largest single call-up since the war began nearly two years ago, as part of its plan to capture Gaza City -- a move approved by Netanyahu's cabinet despite international warnings.

But turnout was reportedly lower than expected, according to state-owned Kan TV, which cited the strain and burden of repeated rounds of service.

The cabinet decision has also sparked dissent among many in Israel, with more than 350 reservists announcing in a letter on Tuesday that they would refuse to serve if ordered into Gaza.

"In the Lebanon War, Second Lebanon War and in the Protective Edge War we saw a 200 percent turnout, of people that enlisted themselves. In this war we see the opposite. So the army can say what they want. At the end of the day, people in the street are voting with their legs -- they don't come," said Dr. Tuly Flint, a member of the Soldiers for the Hostages Organization, which represents Israeli soldiers who no longer wish to serve until the government secures a deal to release hostages taken on Oct 7, 2023.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a potential ceasefire and hostage deal have been stalled since mid-August, as Israel has yet to respond to a proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators that Hamas had earlier accepted. Many reservists believe the Netanyahu government is seeking to prolong the war in order to ensure the current administration can cling onto power.

"The government does different things in order to stay in power including -- and that's the worst case -- including maintaining this war in an ongoing struggle for no reason," said Dan Eliav, another member of the Soldiers for the Hostages Organization.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has continued strikes throughout the Palestinian enclave and is preparing for a new offensive on the territory's largest urban center.

Health authorities in the territory reported Tuesday that at least 76 people were killed and 281 injured by Israeli strikes and gunfire in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 63,633.

Hospitals in Gaza also recorded 13 deaths from famine and malnutrition, including three children, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths to 361, among them 130 children.

Former IRGC chief says Iran ready to break U.S. naval blockade by force if talks fail

As the diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran continues despite a faltering ceasefire, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that Iran is prepared to use military power to break the U.S. maritime blockade should the negotiations collapse or run on too long.

Mohsen Rezaee, who also currently serves as a member of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, struck a confident tone about Iran's current trajectory in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said the country has withstood over two decades of crippling sanctions and continued to move forward.

"We have been under sanctions for more than 20 years. The number of sanctions likely exceeds 2,000, targeting individuals, enterprises, corporations, ships, insurance companies, and even foreign countries that interacted with us. However, we have managed to find solutions to neutralize these sanctions, and we will continue to do so moving forward," he said.

He said Iran aims to ease the sanctions burden through talks with the U.S., although at the same time, he said, Iran is ready to shift to a military response if the path to a peaceful resolution closes.

"Furthermore, we will compel the U.S. to lift these sanctions. We will force the U.S. to end the maritime blockade -- either through negotiations or, should they resist, through direct action and we will attack U.S. warships. Therefore, despite all the pressures, the future of our economy is bright and promising, while the future of the US economy is bleak," he said.

While any new war against Iran would be a dead end, the best way out for the U.S. is to continue talks, according to the senior official.

"We have prepared ourselves so that if the maritime blockade continues beyond a certain timeframe, we will launch an attack and break the blockade. The Americans have no choice but to negotiate. Continuing this war is a journey into a very dark tunnel for the United States. The more America chooses to fight, the deeper it enters a tunnel with no end. Yet for us, the path is perfectly clear. America is moving toward us in the dark, while we are monitoring their every move," he said.