As countless politically loaded debates endlessly take place over the issue of the Chareidi draft, a recent Knesset meeting revealed that about 50,000 reserve soldiers from the general population have not been summoned for duty since October 7th, Reshet Bet reported on Tuesday.

In a confidential hearing in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, it was revealed that about 50,000 reservists who are registered in the IDF as having served regularly in “front units” have not been called up since the start of war. About 15,000 of these reservists are under the age of 35.

There are hundreds of thousands of reservists who were exempted from reserve duty in the last decade due to the “conceptzia” – the IDF’s mistaken assumptions – including its tragically mistaken strategy that Israel needs a “small and smart” army – one that relies on technology and fewer soldiers and munitions. The primary proponent of the “small and smart” theory was the most failed prime minister in Israeli history – Ehud Barak – and the theory led to the most severe failure in IDF history – the failure to avert the October 7th massacre. The theory also led to the army retaining fewer tanks and other equipment that are in short supply now amid the war.

The IDF has not contacted these reservists despite the fact that it says it needs two more combat brigades.

It should be noted that some of these reservists volunteered for duty after October 7th and are serving today but thousands did not.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)