IDF Slashes Reservist Deployments by 30% Across All Fronts
The IDF is reducing combat reservist deployments by 30%, replacing them with regular units in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and along the northern borders to alleviate the heavy burden on reserves. The decision reflects the strain of prolonged conflicts and aims to maintain operational effectiveness with regular forces.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered a significant reduction in combat reservist deployments, slashing their presence by 30% across Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Israel’s northern borders with Lebanon and Syria. The decision, reported by journalist Doron Kadosh on Galei Zahal, responds to the immense strain on reserve units, which have seen far heavier call-ups in 2025 than initially planned due to escalating conflicts.
Since the onset of the Iron Swords War, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages, reservists have borne a disproportionate operational burden, with over 300,000 mobilized at the war’s peak. Zamir’s directive aims to transition regular IDF units into primary combat roles, easing the pressure on reservists who have faced extended deployments amidst economic and personal hardships.
In Gaza, where reservists have been central to operations like the recent Khan Younis campaign that neutralized dozens of Hamas terrorists, most will be released in the coming weeks, with only one new reserve brigade called up to replace them. In Judea and Samaria, previously reliant on reserve battalions to counter 1,200 terrorist incidents in 2025, regular forces will now handle the majority of operations. Along the northern borders, where Hezbollah’s 150,000 rockets and daily skirmishes since October 2023 have killed 44 Israelis, regular troops will partially replace reservists, though on a smaller scale due to ongoing tensions.
A senior IDF source stated, “The move is intended to ease the growing strain and wear on reservists, whose operational load has significantly intensified in recent months.” Social media posts on X reflected mixed sentiments, with one user noting, “Reservists deserve a break, but can regular forces handle Hezbollah and Hamas alone?” The phased withdrawal, set to begin immediately, aligns with Israel’s efforts to balance military readiness with reservists’ well-being, amid a war that has claimed 888 Israeli lives since its start.