Father of reservist killed in Lebanon blasts government over Haredi IDF draft exemptions

The father of a 51-year-old reservist killed in Lebanon last week blasts the government over its policy to exempt Haredi men from military service, saying it is placing an unbearable burden on other sectors of society.

Warrant Officer (res.) Guy Idan, from Shomrat, was killed alongside four other soldiers in a Hezbollah rocket attack in south Lebanon.

He was the cousin of Tsahi Idan, who was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, after his oldest daughter, Maayan, 18, was shot and killed through the door of their safe room.

“Every human being has a pain threshold that he is able to sustain, and apparently there is someone who thinks that we have not yet reached the edge of that threshold,” Guy’s father Yigal tells the Kan public broadcaster.

“I have a lot of anger, especially about the system,” he says. “At the age of 51, my son went out to fight for the second or third time, in Gaza and in Lebanon. At that age! So yes, I have a lot of anger, especially toward the decision-makers”

“If we were run by people who had the best interests of the country at heart, we would have a completely different army,” he says.

“We know that if the Israeli government conducted itself differently, it would have been possible to bring in tens of thousands of people who are sitting on the fence under the guise of observance or Torah study and do not enlist,” Yigal says.

He says his son did not hesitate to enlist, explaining to his family that if he went to fight, then reservists who had served for longer periods of time could be released home.

Guy is survived by his wife and two daughters aged 17 and 13.

“It is very difficult to see the sadness in their eyes,” Yigal says.