Katz said to reject IDF request to extend ‘hesder’ yeshiva soldiers’ service
Defense minister turns down proposal to lengthen military track as security forces grapple with manpower shortage amid ongoing war
Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly rejected a request to extend the mandatory military service of hesder yeshiva students, despite growing concerns over a troop shortfall amid the ongoing war.
The Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday that senior Israel Defense Force officers had sought to extend the service period by an additional four months, citing ongoing manpower shortages.
The report did not say why Katz refused. His office declined to comment.
Hesder yeshivas allow observant young men, typically from the national religious community, to combine Torah studies with a shortened military service currently set at one year and five months.
By contrast, most male soldiers are now required to serve three full years, following a July 2024 decision to increase the length of service from 32 months. Female soldiers are obligated to serve a minimum of 24 months.
The issue of manpower shortages in the IDF has gained renewed urgency in recent months with the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, a major counterterror operation in the West Bank and ongoing deployments in the north.
On Monday, a coalition of activist organizations sent a letter to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee claiming that one-third of soldiers currently deployed in the West Bank are not combat-trained, forcing the IDF to scale back operations.
The groups cited the stalling of legislation aimed at drafting ultra-Orthodox men as a contributing factor.
According to the hesder program’s website, more than 10,000 students are enrolled in over 60 yeshivas across Israel, with former defense minister Yoav Gallant approving the establishment of seven new ones in August 2024 that hoped to serve the ultra-Orthodox community. The majority currently cater to the non-Haredi religious demographic, while only a small percentage cater to ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Haredi leaders have long opposed military service, arguing it threatens their community’s religious integrity and lifestyle.
That stance has increasingly come under fire from the broader Israeli public, especially in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and the subsequent war, during which more than 800 soldiers have been killed and some 300,000 reservists were called up for duty.
In June 2024, the High Court ruled that the government must draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the military, since there was no longer any legal framework to continue the decades-long practice of granting them blanket exemptions from service.
This past year, some 70,000 Haredi males were listed as eligible for military service.
Despite the court ruling, the response from the Haredi public has been minimal. Of 10,000 initial draft orders sent out between July 2024 and March 2025, only 177 ultra-Orthodox men enlisted.
The dispute over Haredi enlistment remains one of Israel’s most divisive social and political issues. Many ultra-Orthodox Jews believe conscription is incompatible with their religious lifestyle, while other Israelis view the mass exemptions as unfair, especially during times of national crisis.
The Times of Israel Community.