Lawmakers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party have made a second visit in just over a week to yeshiva students held in military prison for avoiding the draft. Acting on behalf of party chairman Aryeh Deri, the lawmakers assured the imprisoned students of their ongoing efforts to secure their release and to push for legislation that would exempt yeshiva students from military service. Shas leaders emphasized their commitment to protecting Torah students and vowed to continue working until their status is regulated by law.

The visits come as the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee debates a controversial bill that would maintain exemptions for full-time yeshiva students while aiming to increase conscription among graduates of ultra-Orthodox institutions. Critics have labeled the bill an 'evasion law,' noting it would remove previous measures to verify genuine yeshiva study and eliminate sanctions for draft evaders over the age of 26. The legislation has divided the coalition, with some members opposing it amid ongoing military recruitment challenges.