Israel Proposes Extending Mandatory Military Service to 36 Months

Senior officials in the current Israeli administration have proposed a plan to extend the duration of mandatory military service in the country’s armed forces. According to a report by the daily newspaper Maariv, citing official sources, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have called for an increase in the length of military service from 32 months to 36 months.

The change is set to take effect at the beginning of 2026 and will apply to soldiers who were originally scheduled to complete their service that same year. As a result, thousands of military personnel will be required to remain in the army for an additional four months.

In a statement, Yisrael Katz said the objective of the proposal is to reduce the government’s operational costs and optimize the use of the army’s human resources. Simultaneously, according to internal sources, the Israeli government plans to reduce the number of reserve forces from 60,000 to 40,000.

Measures such as mandatory service extensions and the downsizing of reserve troops are seen as signs of economic pressure and growing structural challenges within the country’s military. These changes could potentially trigger social unrest and new tensions within the occupied territories.