Israel sounds alarm defending nation alone, while Arab hostility and Palestinian incitement exploit manpower crisis relentlessly.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir sent an urgent and sharply worded letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, warning of a dangerous shortage of combat soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.
According to details revealed by Channel 12 News, Zamir cautioned that the manpower crisis could severely undermine Israel’s operational readiness as early as next year. He stressed that the intense security pressures of the past two years — driven by terror, regional instability, and multi-front threats — have placed unprecedented strain on the IDF’s personnel systems.
Zamir warned that delays in advancing legislation related to the Draft Law and extending mandatory service are creating strategic risk. Without an immediate — and even retroactive — extension of mandatory service for men to 36 months, he said, Israel’s force-building capacity will suffer serious and possibly irreversible damage.
The Chief of Staff emphasized that failure to act will directly degrade combat readiness and training quality, with critical consequences expected in 2026 and worsening sharply from January 2027. The IDF has already identified gaps of thousands of combat soldiers, while lawmakers simultaneously advance bills expanding draft exemptions — a move Zamir warned could cripple Israel’s ability to defend itself.
As Israel stands alone against Palestinian terror groups and hostile Arab regimes, the warning underscores a stark reality: without decisive national action, manpower shortages may embolden enemies who seek Israel’s destruction.
