IDF says 688 reservists standing for municipal elections cannot be released from service

The IDF tells the government that in total, 688 reservists who are candidates in the nationwide municipal elections scheduled for the end of January will not be able to be released from their service to participate.

There are almost 4,000 reserve soldiers who are candidates in the municipal elections, but after examining the request to release them by the end of January, the IDF finds that of the 1,829 active reserve soldiers, only 1,141 of them can be released from operational duty.

The IDF does not allow for soldiers or reservists who are actively serving to engage in political campaigns and so those who cannot be released, will not be able to stand for election.

The municipal elections were originally scheduled for October 31 but were postponed in light of the October 7 Hamas assault and the war in Gaza.