He is looking for soldiers in Israel – “We collapse, we must end this war”

A major problem has arisen for his military forces (IDF), since after a year of lasting conflicts in and over Lebanon, he cannot find new soldiers. The two war fronts in which Israel is involved, on the one hand against Hamas and on the other hand against Hezbollah, have been burdened by military personnel, which is not being renewed and the IDF must find a solution urgently. After October 7, 2023, some 300,000 reserves were called by the Israeli army, of which 18.3% were relieved for being over 40 years old. Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS Israel’s army measures about 170,000 soldiers in active action and military service is mandatory for both boys and girls aged 18, but some people are being relieved from service for various reasons. Israel is waging war on many fronts, mainly against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, while 771 Israeli soldiers and 4,500 others have been killed so far. The periods served in the army have been extended and some are protesting this measure that deprives them of their family life, sometimes for more than six months. “Let’s end the war” “We’re falling apart,” said Ariel Cherie on Facebook, who said: Levi on a post republished thousands of times on social media. Seri-Levi has been called for service to Israel’s army four times after 7 October and criticizes those who want Israel “to maintain presence in Lebanon and Gaza”. “We must end this war because we have no other soldiers,” he appreciated. He believes it is important to serve his country, but he added that “the retreats we have made are very large.” Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS Another reserve, father of two children, who wanted to maintain his anonymity, told AFP that “the physical fatigue and the fall of the morale are added to the fact that I lost my job.” “ Collective (interest) is always above individual, but the price is too high for my family, ” he added, specifying that during the previous year nearly six months has passed in the Gaza Strip. Trans-Orthodox Jews After all, recruiting the ultra-orthodox Jews is a matter of intense public debate in Israel, as most do not serve in the army. Transorthodox Jews make up about 14% of Israel’s population, according to the Israeli Institute for Democracy (IDI), that is nearly 1.3 million people. About 66,000 ultraorthodox men of recruitment age are excluded because they devote themselves to studying the sacred texts of Judaism, says the Israeli army, based on a regulation introduced in 1948 by the establishment of the State of Israel. Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS But in June the Supreme Court called for the recruitment of the students of the Talmud schools, appreciating that the government has no right to exempt them from “a lack of adequate legal framework”. “Ling of pressure” in the government The ultra-Orthodox political parties, participating in the government coalition under Benjamin Netanyahu, asked the government to pass a bill providing for the exclusion of students of Talmud schools from military service prior to the crucial vote on the state budget at the end of the year. Six men relieved of service, but enlisted in the army as volunteers, were killed in the battle from 22 to 28 October, among them a father of ten children. For David Zenu, a 52-year-old rabbi serving in Israel’s army for more than 250 days of which many weeks in Lebanon, “what is worth serving my country and as long as I can do so, I will continue.” “ But above all we must not forget that it is war and that we lack soldiers, ” he added, father of seven girls and grandfather of six grandchildren.