Israel is preparing to call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers for its Gaza City offensive, but military officials say it’s not clear how many of them will return to the fight after nearly two years of grinding war.

Over the past few months, an increasing number of Israeli reserve soldiers have not been showing up for military service. Some cite exhaustion, as well as the need to save strained marriages or foundering careers. Others say they are increasingly disillusioned with the war.

The rising discontent in the ranks threatens to complicate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City in an effort to decisively rout Hamas. The military has said it plans to call up an additional 60,000 reservists and extend the service of 20,000 more.

Besides Gaza, Israeli forces are also still fighting on several other fronts: Israeli soldiers now patrol parts of southern Lebanon and Syria, in addition to mounting major incursions into Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

The Israeli military did not provide hard numbers on how many reservists have dropped out, making it difficult to assess the scale of the phenomenon.

In May, a senior Israeli military official told a parliamentary committee that while there had been some attrition, most reservists were still coming.

New York Times News Service