Military service

Her life on the home front: How war is reshaping life for Israel’s wives and mothers

DOMESTIC AFFAIRS: Eliana reflects a familiar reality for many women in Israel: Emotional yet composed, missing a husband deeply while fully aware he has a job to do, and proud that he is doing it.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
AT THE threshold of their home, Eliana stands with her child as her husband heads out again – part of a generation of Israeli families for whom departures, not returns, have come to define the passage of time.
Over 150 lone soldiers join the IDF through Garin Tzabar Scouts program.

Housing for lone soldiers is essential to Israel’s wartime resilience - opinion

Housing for lone soldiers is more than shelter; it provides stability, community, and the support needed to endure wartime service.

|ByLIORA RUBINSTEIN
A group of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked traffic and the light rail in Jerusalem demonstrating against a Haredi draft into the IDF. February 26, 2024.

The haredim do not have a credible argument for avoiding IDF service - opinion

Israel cannot sustain a system where one segment of society fights, pays taxes, and bleeds, while another group is draining the societys resorces without contributing in return.

|ByLOUIS LIBIN, MICHAEL J. SALAMON
A soldier from the IDF observers unit; illustrative.

IDF observers forced to endure harassment, poor conditions - report

Lack of sleep, according to the report, is the biggest problem that the observers, who are predominantly women, currently face.

|ByAVI ASHKENAZI , JERUSALEM POST STAFF

How the Iran war impacted Israel's haredi conscription debate - opinion

The war with Iran has created ripples in Israel's domestic social and political fabric, particularly regarding the debate over ultra-Orthodox military service.

JULY 22, 2025ByNIMROD KOREN
HAREDI DEMONSTRATORS protest in Jerusalem, earlier this year, against serving in the military. The decreased immediate need for substantial expansion of the army’s ranks lessens the pressure to accelerate haredi conscription, says the writer.

Court gives prosecution one week to explain lack of draft-dodger sanctions

The larger issue is surrounding the tensions on the lack of a law that would exempt eligible ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men from getting drafted.

JULY 2, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Haredim protest against the IDF draft on Highway 4 outside Bnei Brak; illustrative, April 6, 2025.

Maj. Asaf Dagan laid to rest in military ceremony after court order approves

After being called into reserves via WhatsApp instead of via "official" channels, the military refused to recognize him as an official IDF member for burial.

DECEMBER 3, 2024ByYOAV ETIEL
Israeli soldiers and Family members of combat navigator Maj. (res.) Asaf Dagan, who recently ended his life attend his funeral at the cemetery in Haifa, December 3, 2024.

Haredi military service: Change from the bottom up as grassroots support grows - analysis

When it comes to ultra-Orthodox (haredi) military service, the change within the haredi community will come from the bottom up.

NOVEMBER 19, 2024ByHERB KEINON
‘THE HAREDI leadership argues that it is forbidden to draft yeshiva students whose Torah is their profession and that they defend the State of Israel through their studies.’

Shaike Gavish, Six Day War hero, dies at 99

The last living commander from the Six Day War died at home surrounded by family.

OCTOBER 6, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Portrait of retired Israeli Maj.-Gen. Shaike Gavish, at the Palmach Museum. January 05, 2016.

The military must defend the country but not preach on political or social matters - opinion

What should be viewed as incorrect is using an army platform to comment on political, social, and religious concerns.

AUGUST 14, 2024ByYISRAEL MEDAD
BRIG.-GEN. Barak Hiram stoked anger when he said that current Israeli society is detached from past commitments and from the burden of its future, and above all is devoted to the moment, the writer notes.

Ministers, MKs criticize arrests of soldiers suspected of terrorist prisoner abuse

Politicians called for "urgent debates" and were critical of each other's stances on protests which broke out at the base.

JULY 29, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
Protesters wave Israeli flags outside the Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli Military Police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba in southern Israel, July 29, 2024.

IDF reservist soldier who refuses to continue serving in Gaza speaks out

Yuval Green, a 26-year-old reservist, said the IDF is utilizing Palestinian homes for military purposes and that soldiers take “souvenirs, vandalize the homes, and destroy things for no reason.”

JULY 24, 2024ByMARGAUX JUBIN
An Israeli soldier operates during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024.

Israel on its way to temporarily extending mandatory IDF service

Knesset extends IDF service to 36 months temporarily, sparking debate over fairness and military readiness amid financial concerns and opposition.

JULY 18, 2024ByYAKI ADAMKER
An IDF soldier is seen wearing a Jewish tzitzit while carrying a weapon in Jerusalem, May 13, 2024

Gov't greenlights bill to extend IDF mandatory service to three years

The bill was delayed over legal and social concerns that it unequally increased the burden of military service on some groups while leaving others exempt.

JULY 14, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
An IDF soldier is seen praying.