Israel Ends Emergency Draft Orders, Keeps Reserve Bonuses Until 2026

New Israeli measures suggest a government shift aimed at controlling military expenditures by ending the emergency draft system known as “Tzav 8.”

According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel is set to terminate the use of emergency military call-up orders, known as “Tzav 8”, once the war concludes.

However, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has decided to extend the expanded financial grants for reserve soldiers until 2026, according to a statement issued by his ministry.

This step follows reports that the emergency conscription orders—which allowed the Israeli army to summon reservists without prior notice—will no longer be applied once the conflict ends.

Starting in January next year, the mobilization of reservists will fall under a revised version of the Reserve Service Law, to be included in the upcoming national budget legislation.

Smotrich justified his decision by saying: “Reservists and their families have endured two challenging years of repeated call-ups, and the army is expected to summon them again over the next year.”

Last week, senior officials from the Ministries of Finance and Defense reached an agreement to end the “Tzav 8” orders, a decision currently under review by the government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara.

Under the proposed plan, the army would be permitted to call up reservists for 60 to 70 days per year, with the final number to be determined in the coming weeks, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

This move marks a return to the regular conscription system governed by standard Israeli law, replacing the broad emergency powers that previously allowed for immediate and unplanned mobilizations.