Israel Freezes Army Leave Ahead of October 27 Elections

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an army-wide leave freeze beginning October 22 to ensure the October 27 Knesset elections are held safely and on schedule. The restriction, which may last through the election date, follows a multi-front security assessment. The military is increasing the presence of senior commanders in operations centers and deploying reinforcements to the West Bank to address rising nationalist-motivated violence.

Security officials are monitoring Iranian ballistic missile and drone tests, fearing that Iran or its proxies might exploit the political window preceding the Israeli vote and the November 3 U.S. midterm elections. Shin Bet Director David Zini specifically warned the security cabinet that Hamas could attempt to kidnap soldiers during this period, which coincides with the anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned from an Air Force base that Israel possesses the capability to act independently and that any enemies attacking the country would suffer blows more severe than previous encounters. He further stated that Israel would respond with tremendous force to any Hamas terror attacks intended to influence the vote. While IDF Elections Officer Col. Vered Ben Yehuda committed to facilitating voting for service members, B'Yachad party chairman Naftali Bennett condemned the leave restrictions as an undue burden on soldiers.