110,000 PEOPLE EVADING MILITARY SERVICE: ISRAELI MEDIA

Thu 22 October 2026:

The number of people classified as in the Israeli army has risen to around 110,000, up from about 75,000 at the beginning of 2026.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday evening that the increase followed the activation of tens of thousands of military call-up orders, with the number expected to rise further in the coming period.

According to Israeli army estimates, ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, account for around 80 per cent of those currently classified as evading military service.

Despite the unprecedented number and a Supreme Court ruling stressing that the law must be enforced against draft evaders, enforcement measures remain largely frozen, with only limited exceptions.

In addition to those arrested at Ben Gurion Airport, the authorities arrested, during random campaigns, 14 Haredi Jewish evaders from service, and 13 other non-Haredim.

A large-scale enforcement operation was planned for this month but was cancelled following a dispute between the police and the army over the division of responsibilities.

The police requested 300 soldiers to assist with the arrests, but the army rejected the request, arguing that the task did not fall within its remit.

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Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews in Israel largely avoid mandatory military service due to a long-standing political and religious arrangement that prioritizes full-time Torah study over conscription.

The exemption originated in 1948, when Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, granted deferments to a small number of yeshiva students. The goal was to rebuild Jewish religious scholarship after the Holocaust destroyed most European centers of learning.

What began as a limited exception for a few hundred men expanded dramatically as the Haredi population grew rapidly through high birth rates.

Today, tens of thousands of Haredi men receive annual deferments while enrolled in yeshivas. Religiously, many Haredi leaders argue that intensive Torah study is a vital spiritual contribution to the nation’s protection and that military service risks secularizing young men by exposing them to mixed-gender environments and non-observant culture.

Politically, Haredi parties have repeatedly used their role as coalition partners to preserve these exemptions.

The arrangement has created ongoing tension. Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that mass, indefinite exemptions violate equality principles, and most other Jewish Israelis serve. While some Haredim do enlist—especially in specialized units—overall rates remain very low.

The issue intensifies during wartime, as the growing Haredi share of the population increases the burden on those who do serve.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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