The Israeli occupation army said in a statement published on the "X" platform that Zamir decided to "freeze the entire implementation of the plan" after a preliminary study, and issued instructions that no soldier be required to serve longer than the period agreed upon upon joining the military track.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid welcomed the decision, writing on Twitter: "The right decision was made. Now we must recruit young Haredim and ease the burden on reserve soldiers."
On Tuesday, Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the Israeli army is about to announce an extension of the service of regular soldiers in commando units, given a shortage of more than 10,000 soldiers killed or wounded since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
The report sparked anger among soldiers and their families, who called for the recruitment of religious Jews (Haredi) instead of imposing additional service on regular soldiers.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) constitute about 13% of Israel's population of approximately 9.7 million. They do not serve in the military and say they devote their lives to studying the Torah.
On June 25, 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Haredim must be conscripted into the Israeli army and that financial aid would be withheld from religious institutions whose students do not comply with military service.
In late April, the Israeli occupation army announced that it would extend the service of male regular soldiers for an additional four months after the end of their term of service, in light of the shortage in combat soldiers. The extension would be 36 months instead of 32.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide left approximately 196,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands displaced.
