August 15, 2024
The political editor wrote
- The Ministry of Defense in the occupying entity announced the number of soldiers wounded in the ongoing war that has lasted for ten months on the southern and northern fronts, with resistance in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
The reported number exceeds ten thousand, compared to 2,000 wounded in the 1967 war, 7,500 wounded in the 1973 war, and nearly 1,000 wounded in the 1956 war.
- Regardless of the accuracy of the figures released by the Ministry of Defense in the occupying entity, given that the war is ongoing and full disclosure of losses may be subject to military censorship or obscured, especially concerning injuries among mercenaries and non-settlers, the Ministry acknowledges that, when compared to historical data on casualties from previous wars, this conflict is the most devastating in terms of human losses for the entity and its military.
- Geographically, the entity is engaged in this war on two fronts that it has not previously categorised as battlegrounds: the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.
The implications of this conflict extend beyond the casualty figures.
This is the first war occurring in what the entity refers to as the “Land of Israel,” rather than “enemy territory” as per its military doctrine.
The battle in Gaza has partially unfolded in the Gaza envelope settlements during the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, while the conflict in southern Lebanon is taking place in northern occupied Palestine.
Both the envelope and the northern region are considered by the entity as part of the “Land of Israel,” even though they have been occupied since 1948.
- In addition to the heavy toll in casualties within the military, there is also profound erosion of morale.
The fighting spirit of the occupying army is dying, as its combat performance deteriorates in recent battles, with increasing rates of desertion, rebellion, insubordination, and requests for discharge.
- In this war, the occupying entity has suffered losses it hasn’t experienced in previous conflicts – whether it’s the erosion of Western public support, the diminishing image of an invincible army, the weakening of its deterrence, or the crumbling cohesion of both society behind the military and the political unity behind the government. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration for the entity’s leaders to describe this as an existential war, as the very foundations of the entity are being shaken.
- If we take into account that the former commander of the Golani Brigade mentioned months ago that the brigade lost 40% of its personnel during the war, and that Haaretz published a report by its military commentator stating that 12,500 soldiers are suffering from psychological trauma – along with an equal number who were injured and disabled, an equivalent number who have dropped out of service, and another similar number also suffering from psychological trauma – we can conclude that the figure released by the Ministry of Defense represents only 20% of the true estimate which is more accurate and credible, as it aligns with the 40% dropout rate in the Golani Brigade, which would have impacted other units. This would place the total number of losses at 50,000 out of a ground force of 120,000 soldiers and officers.
