The Israel Defense Forces said that it was facing a shortage of functioning tanks and shells. The admission came in a court filing explaining why the IDF was not allowing female tank soldiers in Gaza.
On Monday, the IDF informed the Israeli high court that many of its tanks were damaged during operations in Gaza. The Israeli military added it was facing a shortage of tank shells.
The case was started by female IDF tank soldiers who engaged in operations in southern Israel on October 7, who have been denied requests to deploy to Gaza. “The number of operational tanks in the corps is insufficient for the needs of the war and for conducting experiments of the deployment of women,” the IDF wrote in its response to the court. “We are working to increase the arsenal. The IDF has been recruiting extraordinarily large numbers to replace the missing soldiers and cannot allocate manpower for such experiments while the war continues.”
The IDF says it will not allow female tank soldiers to serve in combat until at least November 2025.
Tel Aviv has deployed thousands of soldiers to destroy and occupy Gaza since October 7. At least 38,000 Palestinians have been killed, as well as 320 Israeli soldiers. Thousands of IDF troops have also been injured.
Israel relies heavily on the US to supply its military. From October to December 2023, Washington sent Tel Aviv nearly 14,000 tank shells. The Foundation for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) assesses that Israel is incapable of producing enough tank rounds to arm its forces.
Israel has used American-made shells and other munitions to hit civilian targets and kill innocent people throughout the Gaza Strip over the past nine months. Still, the White House has refused to cut arms to Israel or condition future shipments on the halting of attacks on civilians.
The shortage of tanks and shells could produce other problems for Tel Aviv. Israeli leaders have openly discussed invading southern Lebanon to drive Hezbollah several miles from the border. A lack of tanks could complicate those operations.
