IDF reserves

Don’t abandon reservists: Compromises must not allow for haredi draft issue to continue - editorial

Flexibility cannot become a respectable word for abandoning the people whose service makes coalition negotiations possible.

 Reservist exercise in the North. January 17, 2024
Israeli soldiers walk through a village in southern Lebanon during an Israeli military operation, May 17, 2026.

New academic plan expands support for reservist students, career soldiers for 2026-27 school year

Amir Sturgo, a candidate on Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad list, speaks to haredi men in Bnei Brak regarding the party's "service plan," October 23, 2026.

From reserve duty to Knesset candidate: Meet B'Yachad's Amir Strugo - interview

Reservists train during a battalion wide exercise in the Golan Heights; Illustrative.

IDF, Defense Ministry struggle with amount of reservists seeking mental health care, experts say


'I had not truly come home': Israeli psychologist turns Gaza, Lebanon battlefield trauma into art

After more than 400 days of reserve duty in Gaza and Lebanon, psychologist Michael Feuerstein turned his battlefield experiences into art exploring trauma, healing, and the journey home.

DRAWING: MICHAEL sunk in the sand of the battlefield.

Nearing Oct. 7 anniversary brings IDF failure, police dispute, reserve strain into focus - analysis

The 2026 General Staff should have been expected to be more assertive toward the political leadership, presenting the real challenges rather than attempting to smooth over reality.

IDF officers

Pray for Leiter: The importance of supporting soldiers who protect Israeli life - editorial

Neria can disagree with those making the decisions and still answer the call, but Israel shouldn't mistake that resolve for an inexhaustible supply of time, health, or courage.

Neria Leiter.

Affordable Housing site shut down

After a High Court ruling, the Affordable Housing site was shut for maintenance to prevent benefits for draft evaders, leaving users with expiring eligibility certificates without a solution.

Residential buildings in Petah Tikva.

IDF fires commander filmed praying with West Bank Jewish extremists during Kusra siege

The IDF says the commander has been explicitly ordered to avoid taking any actions that may be in any way interpreted as identifying with the Jewish extremists or supporting their illegal conduct.

An Israeli soldier pray at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Sniper bullet nearly hit him, now he commands battalion built after Oct. 7 failures - interview

Lt.-Col. (res.) Eli Zilberman describes the establishment of the Tzuri Battalion, its operations in the Benjamin Brigade sector, and the lessons learned from the October 7 attack.

The Tzuri Battalion aimed to help address the IDF's deep shortcomings.

Palestinian police allegedly beat, detain IDF reservist at unauthorized West Bank checkpoint

On Wednesday, the military officially amended its statement to clarify that the reservist was in Area C, not in Area B, and that the checkpoint in question was unlawful.

IDF troops operate in the West Bank.

IDF's pre-Oct. 7 containment 'conceptzia' mentality still ingrained, October Council warns

The October Council emphasized that many IDF soldiers still fear raising these dangers with their commander, as they did before October 7, 2023, worried they might be seen as a "nuisance."

Members of the October Council announce the "Strategic Warning: Default 2026" report on August 24, 2026.

After months apart on reserve duty, married Israeli couples face a new challenge at home

A 2024 study, published in Archives of Sexual Behavior, of couples during the current war found that wartime stress sharply reduces sexual well-being and emotional closeness.

 An IDF reservist kisses his child before boarding the bus, in Jerusalem, May 2025.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds

National-Religious men were found to have increased in service substantially from the start of the war until 2025, while the participation of secular men decreased the most of any group.

 THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.