The IDF is facing a worrying trend: reserve duty attendance has fallen by 15-25%, even among combat units fighting in Gaza and up north. Defense officials are warning that 2025 won't be any easier - reservists will still need to serve 3-4 months, but this time, the generous compensation packages aren't guaranteed.
It's a stark contrast to the days right after October 7th, when units were overflowing with volunteers. Now, only about 75-85% of called-up reservists are showing up.
"You can't treat people like an endless resource," one military source said. "These are folks trying to balance real lives - jobs, studies, families. They've already lost a year, and now they're looking at another one slipping away."
The math is tough: reservists are looking at roughly two months of service every four months throughout 2025. That's assuming things quiet down up north - a big if.
Money is another headache. Last year's compensation package totaled 9 billion shekels, with some reservists receiving tens of thousands of shekels. But there's no guarantee similar support will be available next year.
Students who are reservists are particularly worried. The academic accommodations they got last year might not be repeated, putting their degrees at risk.
Meanwhile, the Treasury's hoping to win reservists back with new financial perks, but they're unlikely to match last year's generous packages. The military keeps playing what some call an "Israeli bluff" - using Emergency Order 8, meant only for sudden wars, to call up reservists with zero notice. This has been going on for 14 months now.
The strain hit the spotlight in the Knesset today. During an emergency discussion about families crumbling after 400+ days of war, reservist Jonathan Kidor didn't hold back. "My battalion got called up in late September for what was supposed to be a fixed period. Two days in, they made it open-ended," he explained. "We were meant to finish two weeks ago, but here we are, still serving with no end in sight."
"We're here because somebody has to do this job," he continued. "Someone has to defend, someone has to guard, someone has to hold the line. And that's us. We're not doing it because we trust those who sent us. We're doing it because there's no choice. If we don't do it, nobody will."
The impact on families is devastating. Michal Berkai Brody, who founded "Maneuvering," a support group for reservists' families, put it bluntly: "Kids appreciate toys and benefits, but what they really need is their dad. We have children asking their moms, 'When will dad die?' Is that normal?"
Equipment issues aren't helping either. Sahar Cohen, who helped start the "Generation in Reserves" movement, pointed to broken rifles and worn-out vests. "Soldiers are turning to WhatsApp groups instead of the IDF for help," he said. "I'm heading toward 200 reserve days this year. I don't hate the ultra-Orthodox, but some people are just taking advantage of the situation."
His colleague Michael Sasson was more direct: "I'm really angry, and I know I'm not alone. We keep showing up for reserve duty while there are 30,000 young people who could serve. I'm right-wing, religious, and a settler - and I'm furious about what's happened."
The army's been pushing politicians to pass new laws that would officially double or triple annual reserve duty days and extend mandatory service to three full years.
But these changes are stuck in coalition politics, tangled up with the controversial issue of ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions that could keep about 60,000 potential recruits out of service each year.