Leaked Documents Reveal Israel’s Military Draft Crisis - and the Gap in

Peleg Yerushalmi demonstrates against the draft (Photo: Ronen Shtelzer)

The hot-button issue of enlistment for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and the subsequent enforcement against draft evaders continues to roil the public sphere. Now, an official internal document from the Ministry of Justice, titled "Follow-up Discussion 14 - Summary for Distribution," has been obtained by news outlets, revealing for the first time precise and official military data regarding the scope of draft evasion and the specific percentage attributed to the ultra-Orthodox sector.

According to figures presented by military officials during a follow-up assessment with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the numerical breakdown of the situation is as follows:

Total Draft Evaders in the IDF: As of today, there are 39,621 recognized draft evaders across the entire military.
The Ultra-Orthodox Share of Evaders: According to military estimates, approximately 75% of all draft evaders belong to the ultra-Orthodox community.
Individuals Subject to Enlistment Under Arrest Warrants (Section 12): Beyond the official number of registered evaders, there are an additional 52,460 individuals designated for defense service against whom formal orders have been issued following an arrest warrant.
The Ultra-Orthodox Share of Arrest Warrant Holders: Military estimates indicate that roughly 80% of the entire population holding an enlistment order under Section 12 are members of the ultra-Orthodox community.

A Dramatic Disparity in Indictments

Alongside the high numbers of ultra-Orthodox draft-eligible individuals who fail to report for duty, the data exposes a stark and glaring disparity regarding the initiation of actual criminal proceedings and the filing of indictments.

The document reveals that throughout 2026, a total of 232 indictments were filed against draft evaders across the entire IDF. However, out of those, only 16 indictments were filed against draft evaders from the ultra-Orthodox community.

In her summary of the discussion, Attorney General Baharav-Miara made it clear that this represents a highly significant gap in the volume of indictments filed against ultra-Orthodox evaders compared to other sectors. She demanded that enforcement authorities within the military and the Israel Police make every effort to close these gaps in equality and streamline all aspects of enforcement to end the current reality of unequal application of the law.