Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to cancel a planned reduction in the number of active duty reservists serving in civil defense squads in Gaza border communities, reversing a military initiative to release them as superfluous. Katz said no further cuts would be made until a future decision, citing the need to preserve residents' sense of security. The IDF had argued the reservists were costly and unnecessary given two divisions operating in Gaza and the squads' ability to remain armed outside reserve duty.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has issued a formal order to the IDF to cancel the planned reduction in the number of active duty reservists serving in civil defense squads in Gaza border communities, his office announced. The directive, which reverses a military initiative to release the reservists as superfluous, was issued minutes after Katz had earlier in the same hour announced that no reduction would take place, as The Zioneer reported at 15:16 Jerusalem.
The thread of this story developed rapidly today. At 15:16 Jerusalem, The Zioneer first reported that Katz had instructed the IDF not to reduce defense levels following a security assessment and appeals from residents. A subsequent version of the same report noted that the directive came amid reported tensions between Katz and the IDF Chief of Staff. A third version confirmed that Katz was reversing a previously reported plan to release emergency squad members. The latest update adds that Katz issued a specific order to halt the drawdown, and that any future reduction would require a separate decision.
The decision fits a broader pattern by Katz to maintain a robust defense posture along Israel's borders. As The Zioneer reported on June 25 and July 1, Katz has stated that the IDF will remain indefinitely in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. The background context includes the IDF's earlier decision on July 30 to release emergency squad members in Gaza border communities located 4–7 km from the fence, which the current directive has now reversed.
No timeline has been given for when a decision on future reductions might be made. The IDF's argument that the reservists were costly and unnecessary given two divisions operating in Gaza appears to have been overridden by Katz's security assessment.
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