Only 11% of relevant Israelis served in reserves during war
“The reservists showed up for the sake of the country; now the country must be there for them,” said the State Comptroller, highlighting the heavy burden the war placed on these soldiers
Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Tuesday released the eighth report in the Iron Swords War series, exposing significant shortcomings in Israel’s support for reservists, particularly regarding compensation, employment protections, and assistance for students.
The report examined the period between October 2023 and July 2024, when approximately 318,000 Israelis were called up for reserve duty, representing about 11% of the population aged 23 to 47 outside the Arab sector.
During this period, the average number of reserve duty days surged from 10–13 per year in previous years to 110 days. Some 60,000 students, or roughly 18% of all students in Israel, served in the reserves, a proportion six times higher than their share of the general population.
A survey of 2,650 student reservists revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the support offered by educational institutions. Forty-one percent of students said the assistance provided was insufficient, while 45% reported that it failed to guarantee timely completion of their studies.
The report highlighted a mismatch between the types of support students found most useful and what institutions actually provided. While 60% of students requested extra tutoring and practice sessions, only 31% received them, and although 53% wanted written summaries, just 8% were provided.
The report also found that higher education institutions spent only 124 million shekels of the 195 million allocated to support student reservists, with substantial variation in per-student investment between universities and colleges.
Oversight by the Council for Higher Education was limited, with no systematic surveys of student satisfaction and insufficient monitoring of budget utilization. Additionally, some institutions did not fully refund tuition or registration fees for students whose studies were interrupted by reserve service.
Compensation for reservists also raised concerns. About one-third of those called up received the minimum daily rate of 311 shekels, including roughly 30% of student reservists. Although the minimum compensation was temporarily increased after the war, the report warned that the boost is only valid until the end of 2025, after which it could drop by 30%. The report also noted that the calculation method for extended service periods is less effective. Overall, compensation for reserve duty between October 2023 and July 2024 reached approximately 20 billion shekels.
Employment protections for reservists and their families have expanded in recent years, but the report noted that the measures are inconsistent and temporary, creating confusion and potentially discouraging employers from hiring reservists. Until April 2024, employers received no compensation for social security contributions for employees serving in the reserves, and the current arrangement, which reimburses 20% of daily income multiplied by the number of service days, is valid only until the end of 2025.
Englman also criticized the lack of coordination between the National Insurance Institute and the IDF, which limited oversight of compensation payments. A review of 66,000 reservists who served multiple periods found that approximately 20% received more than 20% higher pay in their most recent service period compared to their first. A January 2025 amendment to the National Insurance Law now allows for improved monitoring of such payments.
The Comptroller called on the Ministries of Defense, Finance, and Labor, in cooperation with the IDF and the National Insurance Institute, to review compensation arrangements and legally distinguish between combat and non-combat reservists, while establishing joint monitoring mechanisms. Englman urged the Ministry of Labor to clarify workplace protections for reservists and their families. Regarding higher education, he recommended that institutions and the Council for Higher Education develop long-term plans to support student reservists, monitor satisfaction and budget utilization systematically, and set clear guidelines for tuition and registration fee refunds.
“The reservists showed up for the sake of the country—the country must be there for them, ensuring both their job security and support for their studies and welfare,” Englman said.