Soldiers plead with reporters on IDF press tour of Gaza to publicize that they’re burnt out

The Haaretz daily quotes several soldiers currently serving in Gaza who share how burnt out they are after serving several hundred days of reserve duty.

“Don’t forget to talk about the reservists and active duty soldiers and how exhausted we are,” one of them tells the paper during a press tour of the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanoun organized by the IDF.

“I’ve already [informed the army] that I’m not going back to Gaza after this tour. I’m done with Gaza. People don’t understand what burnout is. They think it’s just a matter of giving us a few more hours of sleep, but it’s much more than that. People here are exhausted,” he says.

“There are not enough forces to carry out the missions. Tell the public what we are going through and shed light on the difficult conditions,” another soldier says.

Toward the end of the tour, two officers could be heard giving an order to troops over the radio to open fire so that the videographers could have some footage of “fighting.”

Shortly thereafter, extended machine gun fire could be heard in the background. When asked whether the shooting was a show for the media, the officers leading the tour had a hard time containing their smiles.