KAN News reports the IDF has approved lowering the combat-profile threshold to expand eligibility amid a personnel shortfall. Many candidates who would have been reduced from 72 to 64 will instead receive a 70, keeping them eligible for roles like artillery, air defence and some air force functions. The change aims to help fill an estimated gap of about 7,000 combat fighters and 10,000–12,000 troops overall since October 7, 2023. The IDF has not yet commented publicly, fueling speculation about possible internal resistance.
IDF Lowers Combat-Profile Threshold to Expand Eligibility Amid Personnel Shortage
IDF soldiers patrol by the Lebanese border in northern Israel, June 9, 2026 (photo credit: REUTERS/MIRO MAMAN)
KAN News reported that the Israel Defense Forces has approved a change to its medical profiling system that will lower the minimum score required for many candidates to be eligible for combat roles. The move is intended to widen the pool of available soldiers as the military confronts significant personnel shortfalls following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
What Changes?
Under the previous rules, a soldier needed a minimum profile score of 72 out of 100 to be considered for any combat position; those graded 64 because of minor but material medical issues were automatically excluded. The revised system will, in many cases, shift candidates who would have fallen from 72 down to 64 instead to a new 70 profile.
Who Will This Affect?
The new 70 rating will keep many servicemembers eligible for a range of combat and combat-support roles — for example, artillery, air defence, certain air force functions and other specific assignments — while continuing to bar them from the most physically demanding frontline infantry brigades, such as Golani and Givati.
IDF soldiers in the West Bank. (credit: FLASH90)
Why Now?
Since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack and the ensuing operations, the IDF has reported a shortfall of roughly 7,000 combat fighters and about 10,000–12,000 troops overall, driven by high casualty and injury rates and higher peacetime force requirements. With no large increase in haredi (ultra-Orthodox) enlistment under the current government, lowering the profile threshold is being viewed by officials as a near- and medium-term measure to help close the gap.
Officials and analysts say the adjustment seeks to balance operational needs with medical fitness realities as Israel rebuilds its fighting strength after the 2023 conflict.
The IDF had not responded to repeated requests for comment by press time, and that silence has prompted speculation that internal debate or political resistance may still delay full implementation.
Photo caption: IDF soldiers in the West Bank. (credit: FLASH90)
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