27-07-2025
IDF to reduce reserve call-up orders following large drafts of non-essential roles
The directive comes amid growing internal and public complaints that administrative and rear-echelon reservists were being called up without taking part in meaningful assignments.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed a significant reduction in the use of emergency reserve call-up orders, known as Tzav 8, on Sunday, following criticism that large numbers of reservists were being mobilized for non-essential roles.
The directive comes amid growing internal and public complaints that administrative and rear-echelon reservists were being called up without joining operational units or taking part in meaningful assignments.
At the onset of the war, the IDF activated hundreds of thousands of reservists via Tzav 8 to meet combat demands across multiple fronts. Although the intensity of fighting has since declined, the IDF continued issuing such orders, including open-ended formats that kept reservists on short-notice standby and part-time duty models that allowed reservists to continue working civilian jobs while fulfilling non-combat service.
Sources in the military told Walla the indiscriminate use of Tzav 8 had raised concerns over wasteful manpower practices and a lack of oversight. In some units, reservists were issued repeated call-up orders for roles described by critics as redundant.
In recent weeks, Zamir moved to restrict the quota of Tzav 8 orders available to regional commands, military branches, and corps. He also instructed senior commanders to improve tracking and accountability of reserve personnel across all units.
At the same time, Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, ordered a parallel cut in reserve mobilizations in response to operational assessments from the various theaters of conflict.
New mandatory daily report will track reservist's location
To strengthen oversight, Kalifa introduced a mandatory daily report, dubbed Form 1, which will track each reservist's location, whether at home, on base, or in transit.
The Manpower Directorate is expected to begin field inspections in the coming days to verify the reports and ensure units are complying with the updated procedures.
Military sources estimated that the changes will result in a substantial drop in the number of reserve call-ups and lead to major cost savings. 'These adjustments were made in response to troubling patterns and insufficient oversight of manpower distribution across units,' one officer said.
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