Israel extends service of thousands of soldiers amid troop shortage

The Israeli army has extended the service of thousands of regular soldiers for a full year, drawing criticism from opposition leaders, Israeli media reported.

The move comes amid a shortage of soldiers as Israel carries out attacks on multiple fronts, according to Israel's Channel 12.

The broadcaster added that the decision has pushed some within the army to back a ceasefire deal with Hamas in order to ease the burden on soldiers.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed the decision as "shameful", highlighting the government's conscription exemptions given to ultra-Orthodox Jews. 

Earlier this week, Lapid clashed with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri, over moves to toughen sanctions against Torah students who do not sign up for the military draft.

"Minister Deri, instead of attacking the attorney-general who is merely upholding the law, your duty is to tell the yeshiva students: ‘Israel is fighting for its existence; there is no choice but for you to enlist alongside your brothers on the battlefield.’ Anyone who sits in the cabinet and sends soldiers to die in Gaza has no moral right to encourage draft evasion," Lapid was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying.

Troops sent to West Bank

On Friday, the Israeli army announced that it would be sending an additional two battalions to the occupied West Bank. The army gave no further details on the number of troops or the scope of their deployment.

Israel's war on Gaza, launched in October 2023 and continues to rage on, with ceasefire efforts by mediators so far failing to bring an end to what has been classified by UN experts and human rights groups as a genocide.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 57,762 Palestinians and wounded 137,656, according to Gaza's health ministry.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel has ramped up raids against Palestinians and conducted major assaults against the territory's largest refugee camps.

At the same time, Israel has continued strikes on Lebanon despite a November ceasefire with Hezbollah, and since December 2024 has ramped up attacks on Syria, where it has expanded its occupation of Syrian territory.

Last month, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, leading to a 12-day exchange of deadly strikes between the two countries.