The IDF is considering an unprecedented move: reaching out to Jewish communities abroad to enlist young people into its ranks as it confronts a severe manpower crisis.

According to Army Radio, the IDF is drafting plans to actively recruit from major diaspora hubs, particularly the United States and France, with hopes of bringing in as many as 700 foreign recruits each year. The initiative comes amid an estimated shortfall of 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers, a gap that has left units stretched thin after months of combat in Gaza.

The IDF has blamed the manpower crunch on chareidim, who refuse to serve in the secular army. Although they comprise roughly 13 percent of Israel’s population, chareidim have long resisted conscription, arguing that limud torah is their national service and warning that immersion in the military’s secular culture would erode their way of life and put Israel’s security at risk.

The government has struggled to address the impasse. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s attempt to push forward blanket exemptions for chareidim has drawn fierce criticism from both opposition lawmakers and members of his own coalition, who denounce the policy as discriminatory at a time when other Israelis are expected to shoulder unprecedented burdens.

The personnel shortage comes on top of broader problems plaguing the military. Commanders have complained of equipment deficits and a reserve system that has been pushed to its breaking point by nearly a year of fighting. Reports from reservists describe exhaustion, psychological trauma, and a sense of collapse across multiple units.

In July, far-left newspaper Maariv reported that senior officers had, for the first time, openly acknowledged the scale of depletion, citing a gap of about 7,500 soldiers. Battalion leaders spoke of crushing workloads and some signaled intentions to retire early, underscoring the growing cracks within the ranks.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)