Hundreds of new immigrants, ultra-Orthodox join IDF since start of Israel-Hamas War

An Israeli soldier wears a Jewish prayer shawl and tefillin as he prays, in Ashkelon, southern Israel October 10, 2023.

At the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas, it seems that the people of Israel put their internal disputes aside and united against their enemies.

The recruitment of male and female fighters for the combat units of the November-December 2023 cycle has begun, and the IDF has revealed the data of all recruits In the shadow of the war against Hamas. Hundreds of new and ultra-Orthodox immigrants have joined the war effort, IDF data reveals.

In the coming weeks, thousands of recruits and recruits are expected to visit recruitment sites throughout the country and begin their military service. Among the recruits are men and women destined for service in significant combat positions in the field units. According to data published by the IDF, 39.62 % of all those enlisting in the fighting positions are women, and 60.38% are men.

At the onset of the war, the IDF began the process of implementing accelerated sessions of basic training and junior command training. Commanders who participated in combat were integrated into the training, lessons from the current combat were incorporated into the training, and where necessary, an “operational chapter” was even integrated towards the end of the training.

As a lone soldier at the Shivta base in the South of Israel (credit: Liron Tzour)

As a lone soldier at the Shivta base in the South of Israel (credit: Liron Tzour)

Many lone soldiers have joined

According to data from the IDF, 449 ultra-Orthodox soldiers were conscripted in Phase B since the beginning of the war – of these, the number of lone soldiers is 195. Some 135 of them are starting their training today. In addition, in the current recruitment, 129 immigrants and new immigrants are being recruited, of whom 90 are lone soldiers. In total, 356 lone soldiers are enlisting in the current recruitment.