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Jerusalem, 23 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Defense Forces is running a telephone alert drill today for reservists in select units. Participants will receive text messages and automated calls, but no one is required to report. The army stressed that the exercise is purely a communications test.

By Sveta Listratov • September 30, 2025

Jerusalem, 30 September, 2025 (TPS-IL) — “It’s overwhelming. I’m already giving up so much—and we’re stretched so thin. How much more can I give to the country?” Einav, 38, told The Press Service of Israel as her family faces another round of army reserve call-ups.

Einav, mother of a soon-to-be first grader and a baby under one, described the impact at her Jerusalem home.

“I’ve stopped talking to people about it because, honestly, there’s no point anymore. No one gets it. Some people around me don’t even realize there’s a war going on. I’m trying to stay grounded, but the stress—it’s overwhelming. It’s just my reality now,” she said.

Shirel, 32, mother of a toddler and a small baby, said her husband was drafted immediately after October 7 and is now scheduled to return to duty before Yom Kippur.

“Since October 7, he’s been in and out of reserve duty for every holiday. This Rosh HaShanah was the first time in two years we celebrated as a family. And now he’s been called up again; he won’t be home for the rest of the holidays,” she told TPS-IL. “Our son, just two and a half, doesn’t understand what’s happening. One minute Dad is here, the next he’s gone for weeks, and it’s really messing with him — he’s even started pulling away.”

A resident of the Modi’in area in central Israel, Shirel added, “Many moms have had to quit their jobs. I work alongside my husband at his business when I can, but with a small baby and a child who needs constant attention, it’s exhausting and lonely. The system has to make these rotations less frequent. Otherwise, those who carry the burden will eventually drop.”

Despite repeated assurances from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that efforts are being made to ease the burden, call-ups continued. Senior IDF officers acknowledge the problem but have yet to resolve it. Even if Hamas accepts a White House proposal to end the war in Gaza almost immediately, the army faces continued strain.

In September, the head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the army is short roughly 6,000–7,000 combat soldiers and a similar number of support personnel. He offered no details on whether that figure includes thousands of former combat soldiers previously exempted, many of whom remain fit and willing to serve.

A letter from the Forum of Reservists’ Wives, sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on September 4, demanded a decision to recruit “exempt but eligible” soldiers back into service.

Exemptions, or ptorim, are meant for soldiers released from reserve duty due to medical, psychological, or family circumstances. But in recent years the IDF issued them more broadly as part of efforts to downsize the army. It isn’t clear how many Israelis received exemptions.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit told TPS-IL that call-ups are based solely on “operational need and professional considerations.” Since the war began, the reserve force has grown by more than 25%, roughly 30,000 soldiers have been transferred from IDF databases into active units, and about 53,000 previously exempted individuals have voluntarily returned to duty. The army declined to say how many eligible former combat soldiers remain available.

The forum reported to TPS-that the official response was that the IDF Manpower Directorate was organizing “re-enlistment days” for former combat soldiers.

TPS-IL reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Defense, and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairperson for comment but received no response.

An anonymous reservist who participated as an interviewer in a “re-enlistment day” recruiting drive in Tel Aviv in May described the scale of the operation.

“It wasn’t just one day—it was a whole week at the Tel HaShomer induction base. Each day focused on different brigades. Around 4,000 people showed up daily; many didn’t even know they’d been listed as exempt before being called. Most were men in their mid-20s to mid-30s who had only recently completed their service—combat engineers, tank crews, and others from units that were shut down when the army decided to ‘get small,’” he told TPS-IL.

“If someone wanted to join the new division, he went there. If not, the army offered other options — military police, Tel Aviv units. There were over twenty interviewers per battalion; it was a huge operation,” he added.

But for families like Einav’s, policy debates, recruitment drives, and parsing the data do little to ease the daily strain.

“You have people who do absolutely nothing. They don’t lift a finger, and it’s not fair,” Einav said.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.

By Ehud Amiton/TPS • september 2, 2025

Jerusalem, 2 September, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Visiting army reservists called up for duty on Tuesday, Israel’s military chief of staff vowed to “intensify and deepen our operation” against Hamas.

“Hamas will have no place to hide from us,” said the Israel Defense Forces’ top officer, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, who met with troops at the Nachshonim Base in central Israel.

“We are preparing for the continuation of the war. We are going to intensify and deepen our operation, which is why we also called you. We have already begun the maneuver in Gaza so that there will be no doubts. We are already entering places that have not been entered until now and are acting there with force,” Zamir said.

The Israeli military has begun mobilizing thousands of reservists for an offensive into Gaza City, the last major Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip.

About 130,000 reservists and five regular divisions are expected to take part in the operation, which will unfold in stages and extend into 2026. Two divisions already maneuvering in the Strip have begun encircling Gaza City, while additional brigades are gathering in staging areas nearby.

In August, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee authorized the army to summon up to 430,000 soldiers. The IDF said call-up orders would be staggered, with 40,000 to 50,000 reservists reporting on September 2, followed by additional waves in late 2025 and early 2026.

Not all the reservists will be sent into Gaza; many will replace standing troops on other fronts.

Reservists have faced repeated call-ups since Hamas’s October 7 attack. Emergency orders allowing the army to summon large numbers of civilians on short notice have been renewed every few months. In peacetime, such mobilizations are tightly limited, and soldiers must be given advance notice and shorter service terms.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.

Jerusalem, 7 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Since the war’s outbreak, 1,080 people have reported being fired due to army reserve service, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission revealed Thursday during a Knesset Youth Committee meeting. Committee chair MK Naama Lazimi (Labor) urged the creation of an employment and training system for affected reservists, warning of long-term economic and emotional harm.

Advocates raised additional concerns, including job loss among spouses, mental health struggles, and increasing abortion rates. Military and Government officials acknowledged gaps in support and called for better coordination, faster aid, and emotional care. A new survey on the war’s impact on reservists’ families is expected next month.

Jerusalem, 15 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — President Isaac Herzog’s office said it opened 1,683 pardon requests in 2025, continuing a slight decline from 2024 but maintaining higher averages than the past five years. The President granted 456 positive decisions, primarily shortening criminal record periods, reducing fines, or easing sentences.

A notable focus was on special relief schemes for soldiers, reservists, and civilian war victims. Nearly half of all positive decisions were granted under these special frameworks.

Requests from sex offenders, domestic violence perpetrators, and serious traffic offenders continued to be systematically denied.

By Pesach Benson and Omer Novoselsky • November 18, 2025

Jerusalem, 18 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — After two years of war, reserve duty students in Israeli higher education institutions are expressing widespread dissatisfaction with academic support, according to a State Comptroller report released on Tuesday. Reservist students also shared with The Press Service of Israel their experiences of repeatedly moving between class and combat.

The report, prepared by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman, examined how Israel’s higher education system responded to the unprecedented mobilization that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The Comptroller regularly audits Israel’s preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.

According to the report, approximately 60,000 students—roughly 18% of all Israeli students—served in reserve duty during the 2023–24 academic year, with many serving extended periods. About 10,000 students served over 90 days between January and June 2024, representing more than half of that academic period.

“Students were required to mobilize for extended periods for the security of the state and its citizens; therefore, the Council for Higher Education and institutions must ensure that all rights they are entitled to and the required resources are fully secured to prevent, as much as possible, any harm to their academic, professional, and employment advancement,” the report stated. The Council for Higher Education is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing Israel’s higher education institutions.

However, surveys conducted by the State Comptroller revealed shortcomings. While 72% of institutions believed students were highly satisfied with academic support, only 31% of students reported high satisfaction levels. A striking 41% of surveyed students indicated they were dissatisfied with the assistance their institutions offered due to absences from reserve duty.

The report highlights mismatches between what students found most helpful and what institutions actually provided. Students identified tutoring sessions, written summaries of lectures, intensive courses, and completion weeks as most beneficial, yet many institutions failed to offer these services adequately.

Financial concerns were also a critical issue. Englman’s report found that 12% of 25 surveyed institutions did not provide full tuition refunds to reserve duty students who withdrew from studies, and 32% did not refund registration fees.

“The Council for Higher Education did not establish guidelines … concerning financial refunds for registration cancellation and tuition refunds for students who were called to reserve duty and forced to cancel or discontinue their studies,” the report noted.

Budget utilization revealed additional problems. Institutions used only NIS 124 million ($38.45 million) of the NIS 195 million ($60.47 million) allocated specifically for supporting reserve duty students—less than two-thirds of available funds.
The audit also documented 1,423 reserve duty students who dropped out during the 2023–24 academic year. No comprehensive analysis was conducted to identify reasons for student attrition, Englman reported.

From Combat to Campus and Back

Interviews with reservist students illuminate the personal impact behind these figures. TPS-IL changed the names of the students because none wanted to be identified by name. As one student put it, “I don’t want arrest warrants.”

Ronnie, 29, is a computer science student at Ariel University. In the last two years, he has served 350 days in a tank unit and has another round of reserve duty coming up.

“I was in my final year of studies when the war began. I went into five months of reserve duty. Obviously the whole beginning of the academic year went down the drain… Luckily, it was my last year, so there wasn’t that much left.”

He recalled the challenges of returning from combat to campus. “There were days where I had just come from Gaza. Seeing people living a normal daily life – it was a crazy shock. It takes time to adjust.”

Then there were the professional setbacks: “For two years, I had nothing to look for in terms of employment… Every two or three months I had reserve duty. It’s like a wheel rolling downhill – over time it gets harder.”

Benny, 25, is studying psychology and economics, also at Ariel University. He served approximately 300 days.

“It was hard for me that reserve duty hit right at the beginning of the academic year… But specifically at Ariel, they’re very, very supportive… Alternative assessments instead of exams, tutors, flexibility with assignments. You feel the hug for reservists.”

He added, “They should make it possible for you to go to reserve duty with peace of mind, or at least as much peace as possible, and not constantly be stressed about studying in the middle of nowhere. There were people opening textbooks in Gaza.”

Uri, a political science student at Hebrew University of Jerusalem has done 370 days of reserve duty. “Since the war, the reserves themselves have become my routine and everything else has taken a lower place… The transition from making life-and-death decisions to sitting in a classroom is intense. It requires a lot of mental strength,” he told TPS-IL.

“What I would like the public to understand is that there is a huge gap around the experience of war itself between civilian and military society. While civil society has long since adapted to the situation, those who are in the reserves continue to experience the war at its peak,” he added.

Michael’s studies in politics and media at the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary Academic Center were interrupted by 350 days of reserve duty.

“The college is very considerate. Exemptions from courses helped me the most… They could have told a student to deal with it, but they came to their aid,” he told TPS-IL.

“The exemptions from the courses are the things that helped me the most, The fact they gave me an exemption from a course and reduced my load,” he added.

The State Comptroller recommended that the Council for Higher Education develop a long-term strategic plan for supporting reserve duty students, establish systematic oversight mechanisms, mandate periodic satisfaction surveys, and examine options for requiring institutions to provide full refunds to students forced to withdraw due to military service.

“These steps will reflect the state’s commitment to reserve duty soldiers who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice greatly for the State of Israel and its residents,” the report said.

By Ehud Amiton/TPS • September 3, 2025

Jerusalem, 3 September, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Israeli Navy carried out a drill in the Mediterranean Sea, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday, one day after a flotilla of boats hoping to break the naval blockade of Gaza left Spain, and as thousands of Israeli Reservists mobilized for an expected Gaza City offensive.

According to the IDF, the Navy and the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade practiced “a variety of combat scenarios along the maritime border” and rehearsed emergency procedures across command posts to improve coordination between naval and ground forces two days earlier. The announcement did not link the exercise to the flotilla.

Israel has intercepted two such flotillas this year, in June and July, and deported Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg after she joined one of the efforts.

The new flotilla of aid boats set out from Barcelona on Monday evening after stormy weather forced an earlier departure back to port. Organizers said roughly 20 vessels with participants from 44 countries are involved, with more expected to join from across the Mediterranean. Open-source tracking sites showed the boats about 45 nautical miles from Barcelona on Tuesday.

Thunberg, who joined Monday’s flotilla, has sought repeatedly to reach Gaza’s waters. Israel has dismissed the flotillas as “propaganda stunts that serve Hamas.”

Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the Strip in 2007. Since then, Palestinian activists have periodically launched flotillas to challenge the blockade. In 2011, an independent UN inquiry into the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident criticized Israeli forces for using excessive force but upheld the blockade’s legality.

The exercise also came against the backdrop of thousands of Israelis reporting for reserve duty on Tuesday ahead of an expected offensive in Gaza City, Hamas’s last stronghold in the Strip.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Continuing efforts to advance the agreement to develop the joint natural gas reservoir between Israel and Cyprus, a professional delegation from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, in cooperation with representatives of the Ministry of Justice, departed Tuesday evening for Cyprus. The Ministry said the rip is intended to continue negotiations to implement the agreements in principle regarding the Aphrodite-Yishay natural gas reservoir, and to anchor them in an intergovernmental agreement.

Within the framework of these agreements, the development of the reservoir will be carried out by the rights holders on the Cypriot side, while the holders of the Yishai lease and the State of Israel will receive compensation for their share in the reservoir, which will be determined by an international expert.

The delegation’s departure is a continuation of the political and professional contacts between the countries, and follows the meeting between the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, and his Cypriot counterpart, Michaelis Damianos, which took place in Jerusalem last month.

“The agreement is important for strengthening ties between the countries with a shared vision of developing shared natural resources,” said the Ministry. “Reaching agreements is expected to strengthen energy cooperation between the countries and Israel’s position in the regional space and even contribute to the ability to export gas from Cyprus to Egypt. In addition, reaching an agreement is expected to allow progress on other issues, such as the planned electricity cable between Israel and Cyprus.”

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) reported that during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip to clear the area its 188th Armored Brigade’s Combat Team located a shaft containing dozens of weapons used by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, including Kalashnikov-type weapons, RPGs, and cartridges..

Israeli forces continue to operate in the southern Gaza Strip to destroy terrorist infrastructure and clear the Yellow Line area.