Day 460 - IDF needs haredi soldiers, but can it accommodate them?

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute
audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and
the Jewish world.


Military reporter Emanuel
Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's
episode.


Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara filed the state’s response to
High Court petitions on Haredi military enlistment, stating that
there is no limit on the numbers of ultra-Orthodox men recruited
into the Israel Defense Forces from mid-2026. This comes as
coalition members have often insisted that the IDF is not capable
of absorbing the estimated 70,000 Haredi young men currently
eligible for service. We dive into the divisive issue and why the
army needs more soldiers.


The IDF said that this past week, 338 members of the
ultra-Orthodox community enlisted in the military for mandatory
service — 211 combat soldiers and 127 combat support. We hear the
breakdown of numbers and also how the army said it had completed
sending out a wave of 7,000 draft orders to members of the
ultra-Orthodox community, after 3,000 were sent out over the
summer. What have been the results so far?


We learn about the ongoing manhunt in the West Bank after the
fatal shooting on Monday near the Jewish settlement of Kedumim.
The shooting attack, which targeted a bus and two cars, occurred
inside the Palestinian village of al-Funduq, which straddles a
major artery used by thousands of Israelis and Palestinian
drivers daily.


And finally we discuss the deployment of the IDF in the Gaza
Strip and in southern Lebanon, among efforts by US envoy Amos
Hochstein to lengthen the 60-day truce with Hezbollah.


For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s
ongoing live blog.


Discussed articles include:


Survey: Public support for conscripting ultra-Orthodox
has surged throughout war


First 50 ultra-Orthodox soldiers drafted to IDF’s new
Haredi brigade


Soldier killed fighting in Gaza as IDF withdraws brigade
from northern Strip


Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your
podcasts. This episode was produced by Ben Wallick.


IMAGE: Israeli soldiers and ultra-Orthodox Jews at the Western
Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site in the Old City of Jerusalem,
July 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)


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