War with Lebanon would put more strain on Israeli army reservists and their families
Families of Israeli army reservists have faced both emotional strain and financial difficulty since October 7.
When the war started, donations poured in to support Israel's male and female reservists, who are considered a pillar of the army, and their families as their household incomes have shrunk.
Israeli men who have completed their military service stay in the pool of mandatory reservists until the age of 40, a limit temporarily raised to 41.
Nearly one third of spouses say they have suffered professionally since the war began, according to a poll released last Friday.
Among the reservists and spouses surveyed, six percent said they had lost their jobs and 19 percent had to take unpaid leave.
In January, a $2.5-billion package was approved to help the reservists.
"It's like putting on a band-aid," said a spouse. "We need more."
In February, the Histadrut trade union and an employers' organization signed an agreement that extended the protection period for reservists against dismissal.
Late last month, parliament passed a law aimed at preventing the dismissal or deterioration of working conditions for the spouses of reservists during the mobilization period.
However, the psychological stress remains high for the partners of mobilized reservists whose current number the army did not disclose.
For now the Gaza war shows no sign of ending and there is the risk of another breaking out on Israel's tense northern border with Lebanon.
This is sure to put more strain on reservists and their families, warned Ariel Heimann, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
"The families of the reserve force -- the nuclear family and the broader family -- have a dramatic role in the force's resilience and its ability to continue to serve and fight over time," Heimann had said in January.
"It would be unreasonable to assume that the reservists will be at the disposal of the IDF (army) indefinitely and at full force."
