IDF says it sent out additional 54,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men

The IDF says it has completed sending out an additional 54,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men who are eligible for military service and have not yet enlisted.

The orders, which constitute the first stage in the screening and evaluation process that the army carries out for recruits ahead of enlistment in the military in the coming year, come after a landmark High Court ruling in June 2024 that said there was no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting Haredi yeshiva students into military service.

Currently, approximately 80,000 Haredi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are eligible for military service and have not enlisted.

Between July 2024 and May 2025, the IDF issued 24,000 draft orders to Haredi men up to the age of 28, though only a small percentage were actually drafted.

This past month, the IDF says it sent out another 54,000 orders. This means that all Haredi men who previously had exemptions for being yeshiva students have now received a conscription order.

In addition to those orders, the IDF is also sending out first draft orders to all Israelis who turn 16.5, without exempting Haredim as it previously did. (Soldiers only join the military from age 18, but the recruitment process begins earlier.)

“The IDF will continue to operate in accordance with the law and the directives of the political echelon and will do everything in its power to expand recruitment and adapt the conditions for the Haredi population serving, while preserving their way of life,” the military adds.

The issue of Haredi exemptions from the army is particularly volatile in Israel amid the ongoing war, with the burden of service falling on the secular and national religious communities. The army has also stated that it is facing a manpower shortage and currently needs some 12,000 new soldiers — 7,000 of whom would be combat troops.