Overview

• The IDF Manpower Division pegs the current personnel gap at roughly 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers.
• The concept under review would encourage 18–25-year-old Jews to come to Israel and enlist for several years, and officials stress it remains in initial testing and formulation.
• Planners are focusing on the United States and France, with internal estimates suggesting a potential annual pool of more than 10,000 candidates.
• Tzohar Rabbinical Organization said overseas enlistment can be positive but must not substitute Israeli citizens’ obligation to serve.
• Reports tie the shortfall to persistently low ultra-Orthodox enlistment and note broader strain on the force, including heavy reserve demands and equipment and psychological pressures linked to extended fighting in Gaza.