Israeli army gives draft dodgers amnesty opportunity, allowing them avoid punishment by enlisting

Faced with a growing manpower shortage amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and other regional tensions, the Israel Defense Forces is giving thousands of draft dodgers the chance to complete their military service without punishment.

On Sunday, the IDF launched Operation Starting Anew, calling for the estimated 14,600 military scofflaws to register for enlistment over the phone or through a link at a recruitment center.

“If a draft dodger enlists as part of the agreement, their punishment for evading duty will be suspended and only activated if the soldier does not abide by the terms of their military service, such as deserting duty,” according to the Times of Israel newspaper.

The Times of Israel report didn’t specify if some Israelis are refusing military service because of their opposition to the war against Hamas or as a protest against the government’s handling of the hostage question.

On Sunday, Israeli police made dozens of arrests as thousands of protestors demanded the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make a deal with Hamas that would free the hostages in Gaza. Plans for a new military offensive into the Palestinian enclave have frustrated relatives of about 50 remaining hostages, including 20 of them believed to still be alive.

“The only way to bring [hostages] back is through a deal, all at once, without games,” former hostage Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Her boyfriend Ariel Cunio is still being held by Hamas, according to the Associated Press.

Protestors gathered at dozens of locations throughout Israel, including outside IDF military headquarters and the homes of Israeli politicians. They blocked highways and lit bonfires to voice their opposition to the Netanyahu government.

“We don’t win a war over the bodies of hostages,” some protestors chanted during one of the largest demonstrations after nearly two years of fighting.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of the IDF’s General Staff, on Sunday told soldiers in the Gaza Strip that the next phase was about to start for the operation against Hamas.

“We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas, with the hostages always at the forefront of our minds,” Gen. Zamir said on his Telegram social media page. “The IDF will deploy all its capabilities, on land, in the air and at sea in order to strike Hamas decisively.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday said the “vast majority” of Israeli citizens realize that Israel shouldn’t stop the war before the destruction of Hamas.

“The people of Israel understand that the pressure must be applied to Hamas to convince them, not to the Israeli government,” Mr. Smotrich said in a post on X.

Many of the accused draft dodgers in Israel are reportedly members of the country’s ultra-Orthodox Haredi community who practice a strict adherence to Jewish law and traditions.

Historically, Haredi Jews have been exempt from mandatory military service in the IDF, unlike most other Israeli citizens. 

The exemption has faced numerous legal challenges over the years and in 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that they are eligible for the draft. The IDF has since begun the process of bringing Haredi men into the army.