Israeli army extends compulsory military service by 4 months amid manpower shortage

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

The Israeli army extended compulsory military service by four months amid a manpower shortage, local media said on Sunday.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, soldiers will serve an additional four months to a full three-year term.

The army also decided to suspend pre-release leaves, requiring soldiers to serve a full three years before discharge.

There was no immediate confirmation from the army of the report.

The newspaper said the decision was taken to address an unprecedented manpower shortage as the army is now short of 10,000 troops, 7,000 of them in combat units.

The move comes as the Israeli army continued a deadly war on the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 51,500 people, mostly women and children, since October 2023.

The Israeli government had attempted to pass legislation extending compulsory service to three years from the current two years and eight months, but the move faced opposition from ultra-Orthodox members of the coalition, who want an exemption for their community from military service in return for supporting the legislation.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredi, account for roughly 13% of Israel's 10 million population.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.