Tel Aviv, March 12 – Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has claimed that 15,000 Israeli soldiers have been killed or wounded since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Speaking to Yedioth Ahronoth, Ya’alon described the toll on Israeli forces as severe, urging the government to end exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service to address manpower shortages in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
He also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of ceasefire and hostage negotiations, stating that U.S. involvement in Qatar stemmed from Israel’s failure to uphold commitments.
“Netanyahu has been buying time, replacing the professional negotiating team with one more politically aligned with him,” Ya’alon alleged.
