Father of fallen IDF soldier: ‘Thirty years ago, the army was three times larger than it is today’

Moshe Sheli, father of late Major Ben Sheli, addressed the urgent need for a broader military draft across the Israeli population during an interview, stating, “Our role is to make sure it happens.”

Moshe Sheli, father of the late Major Ben Sheli, reiterated the urgent need for a broader military draft across the Israeli population, specifically the Haredi sector, in an interview with 103FM on Friday morning.

Major Sheli served as unit commander in the IDF’s 669 Airborne Rescue Unit. He fell in the northern Gaza Strip on December 12, 2023.

“Ben was 26 and a half when he fell. He was serving in his third company commander position, commanding in Golani, Egoz, and 669,” Sheli said.

He described the dire situation in the army: “There’s a very large number of casualties among those who lead from the front. I know the command echelon that was around Ben, and unfortunately, I know quite a few names of people of that rank who’ve fallen. The very best have been hit.”

“These are numbers we haven’t seen since the Yom Kippur War, unless you count the War of Independence. When discussing this, we must understand the root of the issue. The IDF has been significantly downsized over the past 15 years, which created an unbearable burden, in complete disregard of the growing threats surrounding us.”

Call for broader enlistment to IDF

He reiterated the call for a broader military draft across the Israeli population: “The IDF has the greatest recovery button in the world because we recruit soldiers every four months. But there are quite a few sections of the population that don’t enlist.”

“I enlisted in ‘84. Did you know that back then, the army was almost three times the size of what it is today? I’m talking about both regular and reserve service. Back then, there were four and a half million residents, half of what there is today. These figures must be viewed realistically.”

“I believe everyone must carry the burden, and what’s happening in this war requires all sectors of Israeli society to step up. Especially the Haredim.”

“All that said, the scope of IDF recruitment allows the system to bring in new blood. The IDF officers’ training school produces significantly more officers than any other army in the world, and we must place larger amounts of high-quality combat potential into the ranks,” he said in conclusion. “Our job is to make sure that happens. In the Engineering Corps, the answer is yes. Most of our field units today see good levels of voluntary enlistment. There are challenges in units like the Armored Corps, whose contribution to this war has been extraordinary.”

Achiad Luk, 103FM, contributed to this article.