Israeli army announces recruitment of Orthodox volunteers

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagarihas said that The Israel Defense Forces began preparing to recruit Orthodox volunteers after receiving many applications for mobilization from ultra-religious Jews, who are exempt from military duties in peacetime.

“We have received more than 2,000 requests from the ultra-religious sector to serve in the army. We are adapting special programs and on Monday we will begin mobilizing volunteers from among the ultra-religious population who will become part of our defense in the Israel Defense Forces,” he said during an evening briefing, TASS reports.

Khagary added that the army as a whole is seeing very high reservist activity. All of them are ready to urgently enlist in the ranks of combat units.

He also said that hundreds of thousands of already mobilized reservists and conscripts are being trained for the next stage of the operation in the Gaza Strip.

“This is a war for the entire Israeli society. This war will last for many more weeks, difficult challenges, difficult times await us, and we call on all our people for perseverance, patience and courage,” he added.

On October 7, a massive missile strike was launched against Israel. The Islamist movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack. Hamas announced its Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Jerusalem launched the counter-terrorism Operation Iron Swords.

Within a week, the Israeli army was put on alert. The IDF began retaliating with large-scale missile strikes that continued for a week. On October 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the next stage of the operation in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said that “Israeli Army battalions are deployed throughout the country and are increasing combat readiness for the next phases of the war, with an emphasis on significant ground operations.”

However, the start of the offensive was delayed. On the morning of October 15, Israel opened a humanitarian corridor in the Gaza Strip for three hours to allow civilians to move to the south of the enclave. Near the border of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has assembled a huge strike force.

Preparations for the operation in the Gaza Strip took place against the background of reports of the movement of US Navy ships to the Middle East. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin earlier said that the US military had also strengthened its fighter squadrons in the region. The American aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, as part of a strike group, arrived in the eastern Mediterranean on October 11. The second American aircraft carrier, Dwight Eisenhower, set sail for the Mediterranean on Saturday, October 14.

Shelling of Israeli cities continues from the Gaza Strip. Thus, strikes were carried out on Tel Aviv and its suburbs, and on October 15, Sderot came under fire again. One person was killed when the town of Shtula was shelled from the Lebanese side. The Hezbollah group, which began attacking Israeli territory, claimed responsibility for the attack on the settlement. In response, the IDF attacks Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon. In addition, a four-kilometre area south of the northern border with Lebanon was isolated. Last night, the Israeli Air Force also damaged the airport in Syrian Aleppo.

On October 13, the Israel Defense Forces gave residents of the northern Gaza Strip a day to evacuate to the south of the country. The UN emphasized that the migration of 1.1 million people would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. On October 15, Israel announced the opening of a corridor for civilians, but for three hours. On October 16, a ceasefire lasting five hours was introduced in the southern Gaza Strip at 09:00 Moscow time.

On October 17, it became known about an attack on a hospital in Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning.