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Demonstrators in Tel Aviv on March 14, 2024: For the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army

Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins / REUTERS

According to a media report, thousands of people demonstrated in Israel on Thursday evening for the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army.

The protest took place in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv, as the Haaretz newspaper reported.

Many devoutly religious men in Israel try to avoid military service, which causes great anger in other parts of the population.

Because of the war in the Gaza Strip, pressure is currently growing on Israel's government to end the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox community from military service.

A law allowing their exemption expired last year.

Since then, a temporary regulation has been in effect - but only until the end of March.

Israel's government, which includes strict religious parties, is currently working on a new law to provide an exemption for ultra-Orthodox believers.

In Israel, men have to do military service for almost three years, women for two years.

In 1948, the country's founder, David Ben-Gurion, agreed to exempt Jewish religious students from military service.

At that time, however, it was only a matter of a few hundred men.

Today, the strictly religious make up around 13 percent of the country's almost ten million inhabitants.

Many ultra-Orthodox feel military service is a threat to their pious lifestyle, in part because women and men serve together.

However, according to military sources, more people from the group want to serve in the army after Hamas' terrorist attack.

You can read more about conscription and ultra-Orthodox here.

The Gaza war was triggered by an unprecedented massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in southern Israel on October 7th.

On the Israeli side, 1,140 people were killed.

Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The number of people killed there has risen to more than 30,000 since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.

aka/dpa