Website: The Israeli army will recruit thousands of religious men this week

The Israeli news website Ynet reported on Tuesday that the Israeli army will send thousands of summonses to serve to ultra-Orthodox Jews on Sunday this week.

The website added: "The Israeli army will send the first summons to thousands of Orthodox Jews (Haredi) this Sunday, and the army decided to send out notices to increase the number of soldiers, because it cannot rely only on those who go to military service voluntarily."

According to the website, summonses will be sent to those who do not study the Torah.

But many ultra-Orthodox Jews oppose the decision, which is why a huge anti-conscription demonstration is expected in the main religious district of east Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, against the backdrop of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and the worsening situation on the border with Lebanon, spoke in favor of expanding the scope of recruitment into the army, which would apply to extremist Orthodox Jews.

There is a strong belief in Israel's ultra-Orthodox religious circles that by studying the sacred texts, the ultra-Orthodox share the social burden and make a significant contribution to ensuring the sanctity and stability of the Jewish state.

Last June, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state, due to the lack of a legislative framework, could no longer exempt students of Jewish religious schools (yeshivas) from compulsory military service. The nine-judge panel also ruled that the government could no longer provide financial support to yeshiva students who did not receive a deferment from serving in the Israeli army.