Around 600 career servicemen request early discharge from Israeli army

Around 600 career servicemen, including non-commissioned officers and senior officers, have submitted requests for early discharge from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

According to representatives of the IDF Personnel Directorate, who presented the figures to the Knesset Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, this reflects a broader manpower crisis within the army, Caliber.Az reports per MigNews.

“There were those whose retirement we postponed throughout the war out of necessity, simply because there was no one to replace them,” IDF officials said during the discussion, held against the backdrop of the deteriorating status of career servicemen, their pay conditions and the Finance Ministry’s demand to cut several of their benefits.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the IDF has reported that significant numbers of its career officers are seeking early retirement or asking to leave their professional service mid-conflict.

One senior personnel official stated that “people in permanent service are calling and asking if they can retire early in the middle of the war”.

Multiple factors underpin this exodus: prolonged combat operations, family strain from extended deployments, perceived lack of recognition, deteriorating benefit structures and retirement conditions, and low morale.

The IDF is struggling not just with voluntary departures of career personnel but with broader manpower shortfalls: estimates suggest the standing force is short by some 10,000–12,000 troops, including around 7,000 in combat units.

As a consequence, the army has taken measures such as extending compulsory service terms and limiting pre-release leave. 

By Jeyhun Aghazada